Under pressure to sale raffle ticket, school student commits suicide. Principal arrested

EOI, DARJEELING, SEPTEMBER 2, 2023 :  A 15- year-old Class IX student of a public school committed suicide in his home on Friday. The student hung himself in his school uniform, from the ceiling of his room at Pragati Gram in Darjeeling. 

On the basis of a complaint lodged by the parents of the boy, the police arrested Gajendra Gurung, Principal of Chaitanya Public School. The Principal was produced before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate on Saturday and sent to 14 days’ judicial custody. 

Assistant Public Prosecutor Pankaj Prasad said: "The accused was produced in the court today. 

The judge has sent the arrested to 14 days’ judicial custody. After 14 days he will be produced for hearing". 

The parents alleged the student committed suicide because of pressure from school authorities over selling of raffle tickets. 

"For the past few days my son's mood was gloomy. The school had asked my son to sell three raffle tickets. We had submitted Rs.800 for two tickets but could not deposit for one. My son was sent home for not submitting the raffle sheet and felt humiliated," said the student's father. The elder brother of the student said it was wrong on the part of the school authorities to ask the students to sell raffle tickets compulsorily. 

"My brother confided that he was worried as he could not sell the tickets. My brother was also sent back home from school for this reason. My brother was in mental torture and felt ashamed," he said. 

The All India Gorkha Student Federation has called for schools to stop asking students to sell raffle tickets in the name of development of school. 

"Parents send students to school to study and not to sell raffle tickets. In fact, in most cases the parents have to shell out money for the ticket. We want to tell the authorities of different schools to not ask students to sell raffle tickets. 

We will keep a close watch and if we find schools asking the students to sell raffle tickets then we will take legal action," Federation general secretary Bishwas Chhetri said. 

On the other hand the school teachers said that the allegations were baseless. "It is a very unfortunate incident. We are also very sad. But the allegation against the school is baseless. The student in question was very happy and was practicing for the teachers’ day programme," said a school teacher not wishing to be named. 

The teacher said the raffle ticket was for the August 15 Independence Day programme. It was not compulsory for students to sell all the tickets. 

"We never forced to students to deposit money after August 15. Lots of other students have not been submitting the money and we never took forward the matter," the teacher said. The teachers requested an impartial inquiry into the incident. 

"There could be other reasons. The student was absent for three days this week. The parent did not come to school to collect the half- yearly result in spite of being informed," the teacher said.

When the school principal was produced to Darjeeling court, local people assembled and shouted slogans against the accused, demanding justice.