Jharkhand Girl Beaten For Wearing Bindi At School, Ends Life

A school student killed herself after allegedly being beaten up for wearing a "bindi" on her forehead at a school in Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

The chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) tweeted on Tuesday that a girl student reportedly ended her life after being beaten up for wearing a bindi at school.

He stated that the NCPCR has taken recognition of the issue and a team will be sent to Dhandbad for a thorough investigation into the matter.

Girl Beaten For Wearing Bindi, Ends Life

The incident happened in Dhanbad’s Tetulmari area on Monday, and the parents of the now-deceased girl and locals reportedly staged a protest against the school management on Tuesday. They urged the police to initiate a probe into the matter and take swift action.

The girl was reported to be a student at Saint Xavier’s School in Tetulmari. She had gone to school at 7:30 a.m. but had returned home sometime later. When her family members inquired, she said that the teacher had slapped her for wearing a bindi and that she was upset about it. The police officials also said that the girl hanged herself with a note left in her uniform pocket.

In the note addressed to the Tetulmari police station, the girl alleged that she was slapped in front of all the students and forced to leave the school premises. She explained that she could not tolerate the insult and decided to end her life. She reportedly named the teacher and the school principal as responsible for this decision and sought the police's action against them.

Based on the family’s complaint, the teacher and the school principal have been arrested. The school authorities could not be reached for comment.

Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Uttam Mukherjee, mentioned that the accused teacher was taken into police custody right after the issue came to light.

Mukherjee noted that this was a serious matter, and since the school wasn’t affiliated with the CBSE board, he had directed the District Education Officer. He also shared that he met with the girl’s family and that the accused teacher was arrested.

Suggested Reading:One-Third Of US High-School Girls Felt Suicidal, Reveals Alarming Data