Bathinda, December 5
The incident pertaining to suicide committed by Vineet, student of the local M.S.D. Senior Secondary Public School, on December 3 allegedly after he was thrashed by Punjabi teacher took a new turn today when his parents along with hundreds of students, parents and other prominent citizens staged an indefinite dharna in front of the school after ransacking the office of the Principal, Mr O.P. Sharma.

The protesters, who have been jamming the traffic on the main roads in front of the school till the last reports came in, did not allow Mr Chiranji Lal Garg, Cabinet Minister, who is also the president of the management committee running the school, to move out of the school. They damaged the board and window panes.

Mr Garg, when tried to move out of the school in his official car with his gunmen, some women, including the mother of the deceased, came in front of the car and fell prostrate in front of it. Mr Garg, who tried his best to pacify them, had to return back to the office of the Principal. A strong contingent of the police, including senior police officials, were monitoring the situation.

The protesters were getting more agitated over the unbecoming behaviour of a senior member of the management of the school and raised slogans against Mr Garg, Mr Kewal Krishan, secretary of the management, Mr Sharma and the district administration. Certain girl students of the condition of anonymity alleged that they were threatened by the school authorities that they would be rusticated from the school for they had visited Vineet’s house to express their sympathies with the bereaved family.

Vineet Kumar, student of plus two, committed suicide when he failed to come to terms with the trauma he had been facing after he had been mercilessly beaten up by Punjabi teacher, Ms Pushpa Sharma about two weeks ago. His classmates alleged that after the incident Ms Sharma used to tease Vineet in the classroom, while his parents alleged that Vineet was beaten up because he refused to take private tuition from Ms Sharma.

Students said Ms Sharma used to ask Vineet that what his parents had done for him after he was beaten up by her and subsequently he along with his parents made a complaint to the school management.

Mr Surinder Gupta, father of the deceased alleged that he was forced to make a written statement that his son had taken poison accidently by police officials in the Civil Hospital, when went there for the treatment of his son. He had not lodged a formal complaint with the police in connection with the death of his son, who was forced to commit suicide as Mr Garg was trying to hush up the matter, he added.

He alleged that since the day when Vineet committed suicide, members of the management had become active to make it as a normal incident. The teacher was suspended only when students staged a protest against her high-handedness yesterday in front of the school. He asked why the management had not made a complaint against the teacher to the police for the registration of a criminal case against her.

He said whenever any kin of members of management died, the school observed two days holiday as a mark of respect to the departed soul, while in case of Vineet, the students who wanted to attend his cremation, were forced to take their house tests.

The protesters, including parents of the deceased, were demanding termination of services of Ms Sharma, the Principal, Mr Sharma and the secretary of the management, Mr Kewal Krishan. Mr Sharma submitted his resignation to the management in front of the protesters today.

Other demands of the protesters include public apology from the Punjabi teacher besides the initiation of legal action against her and assurance from the management that no student will be tortured by the teacher in future on their whims or to extract benefits from them.

Unable to control her tears rolling down from her eyes, Rajni, sister of the deceased, alleged that her brother was forced to commit suicide. The teacher and others who were also guilty should be given exemplary punishment, she added.

Dr Jatinder Kumar Jain, SSP, said no written complaint in connection with the incident had been received by the police authorities so far.