Thiruvananthapuram: The suspected suicide of a plus-one student at a school Varkala on Tuesday has triggered allegations of harassment by the school management.
Arjun, 16, son of Pradeep Kumar and Shali of Marakadamukku near Varkala, was found hanging in his house on Tuesday evening. His parents alleged that he was harassed by authorities of MGM School, Varkala, for alleged malpractice in exams.
The school management, which suspended vice-principal B.S. Rajeev from service following the incident, however, denied harassing the student. Varkala police registered a case for abetment of suicide and started investigation.
According to sources, the school authorities had summoned Arjun and parents to the school on Tuesday and the vice-principal reportedly told them that the commerce student had copied in the examinations using a smart watch. Arjun’s mother told the police that the school authorities even warned that he would be debarred.
The school authorities, however, denied it and maintained that they had only warned him against indulging in malpractices.
After returning from school, Shali went out with her younger daughter and on their return found Arjun hanging in the house. Arjun’s sister Ananthalekshmi is a ninth standard student at the same school.
Various political outfits staged protest in front of the school and demanded arrest of the school authorities. Arjun’s body was handed over to relatives after postmortem examination.
