Thanjavur suicide case: Madras HC tells police to probe video; asks parents to accept body

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has said that parents of a Class 12 girl, who died by suicide in Thanjavur, should receive the body and conduct the final rites. The relatives of the 17-year-old girl whose name is Lavanya, have been protesting against taking the body, demanding strict action against the school and the hostel.

The girl's father filed a petition in the High Court seeking a CB-CID inquiry into her daughter's death. Justice GS Swaminathan who heard the plea instructed the Thanjavur Police to probe the case. The HC noted that the girl had recorded a video and shared it on social media platforms where she claimed that a woman named Rachel Mary had coerced her to convert to Christianity, which she and her parents refused.

The FIR (First Information Report) and dying statement recorded in writing by the police state that Lavanya was tortured by hostel warden Sagaya Mary, who mistreated her and made her do her (Mary) personal work. However, Lavanya's father said that the mistreatment was because they had refused to convert to Christianity.

Warden of missionary school arrested

The juvenile girl consumed poison on January 9 and the police received the first information from her parents on January 15. The warden of the missionary school was remanded after the Thanjavur judicial magistrate took a dying statement of Lavanya and following the recording of a statement by Thirukattupalli police. 

The girl's condition worsened on January 15 and she was shifted to the Thanjavur College Hospital. There, she gave her declaration implicating the warden and died on January 19, the police said. As per the FIR, the warden of the hostel, where Lavanya was staying, had forced her to do domestic chores on January 9. She allegedly attempted to end her life as she could not bear the cruelty.

“My name is Lavanya. They (school) had asked my parents in my presence if they can convert me to Christianity and help her for further studies. Since I didn’t accept, they kept scolding me,” the viral video of the girl stated in Tamil language. She also named a nun known as Rachel Mary who had allegedly tortured her.

Image: PTI, ANI, Representative