Amaravati: A 13-year old girl ended her life by jumping off the terrace of their apartment complex in Bhavanipuram area of Vijayawada city on Saturday evening, police said on Sunday. Police seized a 'suicide note' purportedly written by the girl, a class IX student, in which she alleged that a real estate businessman had been harassing her sexually for some time now.
The unfortunate suicide happened at the Kummaripalem Center in Vijayawada's Bhavanipuram. The girl in Class 9 allegedly killed herself because she could not bear the sexual harassment of Vinod Jain, a guy in his 50s, living in her area. The accused is from the Telugu Desam Party and the party suspended him after he was arrested by the police.
According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police K Hanumantha Rao, their preliminary investigation revealed that Jain had allegedly been harassing the girl for a couple of months. "Unable to vent out her anguish, she probably took the extreme step," the ACP said.
Vinod Jain has been charged with sexual harassment and inciting suicide under sections 306 and 354A as well as abusing a minor under the POCSO act. The real estate agent had unsuccessfully contested the local body elections last year as a TDP candidate. Meanwhile, the post-mortem of the victim was done on Sunday.
AP Women Commission chairperson V Padma demanded stern action against the accused. "There is nothing wrong even if the accused is hanged to death, for having driven the girl to suicide," she said, after consoling the victim's family members. State Endowments Minister V S Rao, under whose Assembly constituency the incident happened, too expressed anguish over the girl ending her life and termed it very unfortunate.
(With Agency Inputs)
