KOLLAM: The two teachers who are accused in the suicide of Gauri Neha, 15, 10th standard student of Trinity Lyceum school here, in October, surrendered before the Kollam district magistrate court on Friday. The High Court had earlier ordered the accused Sindhu Paul and Crescence Navis to surrender before the court while allowing their anticipatory bail petitions. The investigation team in Kollam will question them on November 18 – 20 as per the bail conditions. The court had also directed the accused to be present before the investigative officer on all Saturdays until the chargesheet is submitted.
Gauri, daughter of Prasannan of Makkatt Kizhakkathil, Kannimelcheri, Sakthikulangara, had jumped from the second floor of the primary block of the school on October 20 and succumbed to her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on October 23. The teachers were absconding since then. The police had charged the accused with sections 511, 305, 34 of IPC, including abetment of suicide and sections under Juvenile Justice Act for torturing the girl. The police had earlier sought their custody for collecting evidence. The charges of abetment of suicide will stand, the prosecution pointed out, as against the arguments by the lawyer of the accused that a trivial issue among the students had led to the suicide.
The CCTV visuals also support the prosecution’s stand that the teachers were involved in the crime. According to the statement given by Gauri’s father, she was mentally tortured by her sister’s class teacher which provoked her to take the extreme step. Gauri’s sister studying in 8th standard in the same school was made to sit among boys as a disciplinary action. This was questioned by Gauri who was scolded by the teacher.
