Unable to bear the sadness of not being able to attend the online class which began on Monday (June 1), a Class X girl student set herself ablaze and died yesterday in Valanchery, a town in Kerala's Malappuram district.
Hailing from a poor Scheduled Caste family, living in a very small house at Valancherry in Malappurram, the girl a very bright student all through her brief academic career, was deeply upset as the TV in her house was not working and the only mobile in their home was not charged.
Her parents said that right from Monday morning after she was unable to attend the online classes, she was very gloomy and was all by herself.
After her mother found out she was missing from the house, after a search they found the burned body of the daughter about 200 metres from their home.
A bottle of kerosene was found near her burned body.
Education Minister orders probe
The autopsy would be conducted later at the State run Manjeri Medical College hospital and would be handed to the family to conduct the last rites.
Speaking to news agency IANS, local legislator Abid Hussain Thangal said this sad episode could have been avoided had proper arrangements for students who have no access to TV or mobile phones been taken care of.
"We had raised this aspect with the education authorities but do not think, there were any arrangements for those who did not have a TV or a smart phone. She was a very bright student," said Thangal.
The girl's father was a casual labourer and on account of the lockdown, had no work and hence had no money to repair their TV.
The state police have registered a case of unnatural death. They also stated that a suicide note found in her room bore the following, heartbreaking message: "I'm going."
Meanwhile, Education Minister Professor C Raveendranath has ordered a probe of the circumstances that led to Devika's death, to be conducted by the District Education Officer.
(With agency inputs)
