Kallakurichi Violence: Principal, 4 others sent to 15 day-remand in school girl death case

A day after violence erupted in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi over a death of a 17-year-old girl student who allegedly died by suicide, five people from the school administration have been arrested. The School Secretary Shanthi, Principal Shiva Sankaran, school correspondent Ravikumar, and two teachers have been sent to15 day-remand.   

The Tamil Nadu Private School Association on Monday called for a state-wide holiday following the violent protests and stated 'All private nursery, matriculation & CBSE schools will remain closed in the state to protest against the attack on Kaniyamoor Sakthi Matriculation School in Kallakurichi'. However, the Directorate of Matriculation sent notice to 987 private schools, seeking an explanation from them over the closing of schools against the government's advice. 

Kallakurichi Violence

Protests against the death of a class 12 girl student of a private school in Kallakurichi on Sunday turned violent. Police personnel tightened the security outside the school. The school was the epicentre of violence and vandalism. The protestors pushed down barricades and stormed the premises of a school and set buses on fire. A police bus was also set ablaze. Several agitators also managed to reach the school terrace, vandalised the name board, and held banners seeking justice for the dead girl. 

Following the violent protest, the Madras High Court on Monday took strong objections to the violent incidents and directed the state police chief to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify the rioters and take stern action against them. 

A 17-year-old Class 12 girl, studying in a private residential school in Chinnasalem, was found dead on Wednesday in the hostel premises. The girl was suspected to have ended her life by leaping to the ground from the top floor. However, a postmortem report reportedly indicated that she sustained injuries before her death. A case has been registered by the police and an investigation is underway. The parents, relatives, and people belonging to the girl's village Periyanesalur have been staging protests and seeking action against the school authorities.

Reacting to the Kallakurichi violence, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said, "At the conclusion of the ongoing police investigation into the student's death, the culprits will surely be punished," he said. CM Stalin also ordered the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) to go to the district and requested the public to keep calm and trust the government's actions.

(Image: ANI)