New Delhi, Nov 21: Three staff members of St. Columba’s School in Delhi, including the headmistress, have been suspended after police registered an FIR in the alleged suicide of a Class X student who accused teachers of mental harassment in a handwritten note. Tensions escalated earlier on Wednesday when the 16-year-old’s parents led a protest outside the school, demanding a fair investigation and action against those named.
Police said the student went directly from the school to the Rajinder Nagar Metro station on Tuesday and allegedly jumped from the platform. Bystanders alerted authorities, and officers recovered his schoolbag, which contained the suicide note. “Sorry papa, I should have been a good person like you. Sorry mummy, I broke your heart many times; this will be the last time… the teachers are like this, what I say,” the child wrote, according to the FIR.
His father, Pradeep Patil, said the boy had been complaining for nearly a year that he was mocked, scolded and singled out in class by certain teachers. “Whenever we raised the issue, we were told he lacked focus, especially in mathematics, and needed to improve his discipline,” Patil said, adding that the school allegedly threatened to give the child a transfer certificate.
Patil said the events on Tuesday may have pushed his son further into distress. He claimed the child slipped during a dance practice on stage, and instead of assisting him, teachers removed him from the performance, accusing him of doing it intentionally. “He could not bear the humiliation,” Patil said. One teacher allegedly told the boy, “Cry as much as you want, I don’t care.” Patil added that the principal was present and “did not intervene.”
The FIR states the note mentioned the names of three teachers, including the headmistress. Friends of the child later told police that he had been under mental strain for several months. According to Patil, one of the teachers had been threatening him for four days, warning that his parents would be called and he would be expelled. “He was even pushed once,” Patil said before leaving for their hometown in Sangli, Maharashtra, for the funeral.
Police said the boy left the school premises through the back gate instead of taking the van he usually used to commute. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and questioning school staff. The administration has not responded to the allegations.
