Parents Of 2 Students Who Died By Suicide To NDTV On What Their Schools Did

The father of a Class 10 student who died by suicide in Delhi, leaving behind a note blaming teachers for harassment, told NDTV they were about to change school after Class 10 and his son was looking forward to it.

Another family from Rajasthan's Jaipur, whose nine-year-old daughter and Class 4 student Amaiyra died by suicide, alleged the school did nothing to stop bullying, teasing, and verbal abuse with "sexual connotations" on her daughter despite repeated complaints.

Shivani Meena, the mother of the nine-year-old, told NDTV it had already been 19 days since the incident happened, but nothing - not even a condolence message - had come from the school.

In the Delhi incident, Shourya Patil, 16, in the suicide note named some teachers who he blamed for his mental distress, and requested action against them. He also asked for his organs to be donated.

"The teacher used to complain to us that he was very naughty, that he used to make fun of teachers with mimicry. I told the teacher that he is only a boy and children of his age tend to do such things, which we will look into," Shourya Patil's father Pradeep Patil told NDTV.

"The teachers, however, kept on torturing him... Three days ago, a teacher told him that she would call us [parents] and tell us that he would be removed from the school. It's unimaginable to tell a student that he would be removed from the school just 10 days before the pre-board exams," Pradeep Patil said.

He said he met the school's coordinator three months ago to convey that he had no worries about how much his son would score, but that the school must prepare him well.

"My son has studied in this school since Class 2. He used to tell me teachers kept harassing him. With only 10 days to go for pre-boards - and we had ice-cream the other day - I told him to wait for a few days and after that we'd be gone to another school. He was happy at that thought," the devastated father told NDTV.

"A time came when the teachers harassed him so badly that he told them he started having suicidal thoughts. The school should have told us about it. No one said anything. We came to know this only after meeting students who are protesting in front of the school in memory of my son," Pradeep Patil added.

Rajasthan Student

Shivani Meena, the mother of the Class 4 student who died by suicide in Japur, told NDTV that forget about teachers or the principal, not even a single parent came to meet them.

Her husband Vijay Meena said they considered the school to be the safest place for their daughter, and slammed the school for spreading lies in the media to save themselves.

"We just found out the school has many floors that violate by-laws and so is illegal. They have told the media that my daughter came to complain about harassment only once. But CCTV footage showed she went at least five times to inform her teachers about the harassment and bullying," Vijay Meena said.

He said they have now discovered many things wrong in the school, from infrastructure issues to basic administration.

Pradeep Patil, the father of Delhi student, said he will ensure his son's last wish seeking justice will be fulfilled.

"The principal called and said 'we are with you'. I told him, 'can you bring my son back?' I know my son won't return. Within a day of the funeral, here I am talking to you. I will stay very strong for justice," Shourya Patil's father told NDTV.

Shivani Meena, the grieving mother of Class 4 student Amaiyra, said her daughter was too young to even think about writing or know about writing a last letter.

"Nine times in the last two days, Amaiyra went to her teachers to complain against bullying. Amaiyra was a great child, a very happy child. We just want action and it should happen fast. Already 20 days have passed. This is the time for action because justice delayed is justice denied," Shivani Meena said.