Tripura girl kills self after being accused of theft

A class 12 student allegedly committed suicide in Tripura’s Sidhai town over the weekend after she was accused of theft at a shopping mall in Agartala, police said on Tuesday.

The body of 18-year-old Lahiri Debbarma was found hanging in her room at Birmohan Para in Sidhai, around 40 kilometres away from state capital Agartala, by one of her family members on May 25.

Police said Debbarma went to a shopping mall along with her friends in Agartala last Thursday.While leaving the mall, a security guard in the exit area of a shop on checking her bag allegedly discovered some men’s clothing that was not paid for.

Debbarma pleaded innocence but the guard asked her to call her guardian and said they would summon the police if she did not. Her friends called one of their teachers who came to the mall and paid a fine of ₹4,000. She was taken to the school’s principal, who reprimanded her for the incident, the official said.

Her mother, a widow and a teacher at a private school, said her daughter committed suicide the next morning.

“Initially, a case of unnatural death was lodged by the police. Later, a case was lodged by the deceased’s mother against the shopping mall and school authorities last evening. The investigation is on,” the official said.

Officials said a case was lodged under Section 306 or abetment of suicide of the Indian Penal Code.

The students’ wing of Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress and an indigenous students’ organisation - Twipra Students’ Federation - condemned the incident and demanded exemplary action.

The Tripura government handed over the case to the crime investigation department and announced it will give ₹5 lakh as compensation to the girl’s family.

Deputy chief minister Jishnu Dev Varma, education minister Ratan Lal Nath and revenue minister NC Debbarma visited the girl’s family on Tuesday morning. “The CID will investigate the matter...,” Dev Varma said.

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