Kolkata teen suicide: Father files police complaint against school principal

Kolkata, February 7: The father of a 14-year-old girl, who jumped to her death on February 1, has filed a police complaint blaming the principal of her school for abetting his daughter's suicide.

The girl, Deepshikha, and a 15-year-old boy, Sudipto, both students of Class 8 in Julien Day School, jumped off the roof of the four-storey building where Sudipto's family lives. Deepshika was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital. Sudipto is in hospital with serious injuries. He underwent a brain surgery.

They both took the extreme step after allegedly being upbraided by the school principal for bunking a PT class. Deepshikha and Sudipto had been caught bunking class and allegedly threatened with suspension by the principal. Hours later, the two went to Sudipto's home, wrote a suicide note and jumped off the roof.

The suicide note was not addressed to anyone and it did not blame anyone. It said, "We are sorry to have disappointed our parents. We were born in the wrong time in the wrong country."

Deepshikha's father has now filed a police complaint against the principal and four others. Along with the prinicipal of the school, the father has also named Sudipto in his complaint for forcing Deepshikha to go to his house and commit suicide. Sudipto's mother - a doctor - is accused of taking her son to hospital in an ambulance but leaving the girl behind. Also named are the ambulance driver and the driver of Deepshikha's school bus for not taking steps when he noticed she was missing after school.

"I will not leave the principal. I want to know what it is he did that he forced my daughter to take this decision," says Mr Deepak Dam, the girl's father.

The principal of the school, M Mcnamara, has denied reports that after the students were discovered missing from class, he threatened to suspend them.

"They were called to my room because they did not attend PT classes. We just wanted to know why. They were not suspended or threatened and there was no talk of a transfer certificate or suspension," he said.