School management admits lapse in ninth-class student's suicide; Five teachers expelled

PALAKKAD: Student organisations staged strong protest over the death of 14-year-old Ashirnanda, who ended her life alleging mental harassment from school teachers. Clashes broke out during the SFI march to St. Dominic's School in Sreekrishnapuram, Palakkad. The police prevented the protestors from entering the school.

Meanwhile, the school management admitted to a lapse in the incident. All five teachers have been expelled, and the authorities decided not to transfer children to different classes based on marks. The vice-principal will serve as the interim principal after the old principal was dismissed following the incident. New PTA office bearers will be elected.

Ashirnanda, a ninth-grade student, committed suicide on Monday over alleged mental torture and humiliation for scoring poor marks in exams. As the protests intensified, the school principal, O.P. Joyce and teachers Stella Babu and A.T. Thankam were dismissed. In addition to them, the management on Thursday agreed to dismiss teachers Ambili and Archana.

When the parents demanded that all the teachers named in the suicide note be dismissed, the management and PTA initially refused but had to succumb later to pressure.

A close friend of Ashirnanda from St. Dominic's Convent English Medium School, Sreekrishnapuram, handed over the latter’s suicide note to police, strengthening the allegations raised against teachers.

As per the statement, Ashirnanda had written a few lines on the back page of her friend’s notebook to express the mental torture and humiliation she endured. In the note, Ashirnanda blamed the role of teachers Ambili and Archana and the mental torture she received from another teacher, Stella Babu. This note has now been handed over to the police.