Teacher insults student for being weak in studies, student dies by suicide

An 18-year-old student died by suicide as he was humiliated by a teacher in the school. The police registered a case against the teacher based on a complaint lodged by the victim's mother.

Guntur (Andhra Pradesh): In a tragic incident, a mother, who was educating her kids, by working as a daily wage labourer lost her son. Due to lack of guidance, one of her sons lagged behind in his studies, but the teacher, who was supposed to understand the situation and help the student, chose to insult him by snatching away his lunch saying that, illiterate people don't deserve food. The offended student died by suicide due to the embarrassment.

According to the victim's family and the police, Anjamma's husband from Guntur Railpet died by suicide eight years ago. Since then, she has been working as a labourer and educating her two children. The youngest son Akash (18), who was studying IX standard in a government school, was reprimanded by a teacher a week ago for not studying properly.

One day, Akash went with his fellow students to have lunch in the school. The teacher came there and snatched the plate from Akash's hand and scolded him "Why do illiterate people need food?" Akash felt insulted and complained to his mother after coming home. The mother consoled him and sent him to school again. A few days later, he again came home crying from school saying that the teacher scolded him and told him to enrol in the Class X external exam due to his poor grades. His mother assured him that the situation will improve in a few days.

Akash stopped going to school for two days. When his mother went to work, he used to go with her. On Monday afternoon, Akash's elder brother Venkatesh called his mother over the phone and asked her to send the keys of the house with his younger brother. Akash took the keys and went home. Venkatesh was cooking food and went out to get vegetables. Akash, who was emotionally disturbed for the past few days, died by suicide by hanging himself with his mother's sari.

Venkatesh returned home and was shocked at the sight. "When I told my mother she rushed to the house. We took him to a private hospital from there he was shifted to the Government General Hospital in Guntur where his condition deteriorated. There the doctors said that Akash had already died. Sub-Inspector Srinivasa Rao said that a case has been registered based on a complaint lodged by the deceased mother alleging that her son died by suicide after being insulted by the teacher.