Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) and the state Home Secretary to reach Kallakurichi and to give a report on the incident after visiting the area.
He also called upon the people to have confidence in the actions of the government and to maintain peace. In a social media post, Stalin said: “The situation prevailing in Kallkurichi is regrettable. Those behind the girl’s death would be definitely punished after the completion of the police inquiry.”
There was tension in Chinna Salem near Kallkurichi since Sunday morning after local people, protesting the suicide of a Class 12 girl student of a private residential school, clashed with the police. Student organisations, mostly Dalit student organisations including those aligned with the VCK, DK, and the Left also held protests.
The Class 12 student had reportedly jumped to death from the third floor of the hostel building of the private residential school where she was studying a couple of days before. In a suicide note recovered from her room, she had mentioned the name of two teachers who had mentally tortured her to be the reason behind her suicide.
Students and local protestors are demanding immediate arrest of the two teachers while police maintained that they were called up and interrogated. However, the protestors turned violent on Sunday asking for the immediate arrest of the two teachers.
The protesting students first threw stones and bottles at police injuring several policemen and this led to the police firing in the air. This created more tension and a group of students and youths barged into the private school after breaking open the gates and put to fire several school buses.
There was a very small contingent of police that were present at that time and Inspector General of Police M. Pandyan reached the area and called upon the protestors to calm down. Again the protestors pelted stones at the police leading to the injuries of several policemen including the IG.
Pandyan told media persons that more forces have now reached Kallakurichi area and that things were under control. He said that the police would take action against all those who were involved in setting afire a police van as also the school buses.
(IANS)
