Parents and volunteer protesting at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Over 100 people, including family members of the Class 10 student who died by suicide on November 19 after alleging harassment by his schoolteachers, gathered at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to demand the arrest of the four now-suspended teachers.
The police on November 20 had registered an FIR on charges of abetment to suicide and common intention against three teachers and the headmistress of St. Columba’s School, Ashok Place, whom the 16-year-old boy had named in a note found in his bag.
Teachers summoned
The police have summoned all four for questioning on Monday.
“Mere suspension of the teachers is not enough. There is a need for stricter punishment so that in future, teachers will be afraid of harassing students,” said the deceased boy’s cousin.
The 16-year-old’s brother said, “The school authorities are defending themselves after suspending the four teachers, saying that they have taken enough action after we protested outside the school. We want the teachers to be arrested. He should get justice.”
Jaya Gurjar, 68, who owns a consultancy firm and took part in the protest, said, “Whatever happened to the boy was wrong. I have come here because I do not want the next generation to face something like this.”
“Teachers take out their anger on students and torture the parents so much. I am going to change my child’s school after he completes Class 10,” said Hemanth Kumar, another parent at the protest site.
A classmate of the deceased student said he was finding it difficult to cope with the loss. “We are not against the teachers. We are against harassment, which is happening to us as well,” he said.
On Friday, the police had questioned five of the deceased student’s classmates, some of whom were also named in the note as witnesses to his harassment at school.
The police also collected a week’s worth of CCTV footage from the school as part of the probe.
(Those in distress can contact Tele MANAS at 14416 to seek help.)
Published – November 23, 2025 01:16 am IST
