Suicide of tribal girl triggers tension

UMERKOTE: Tension flared up in the area after a 14-year-old tribal girl student committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree, barely 200 metres from Padaiguda TRW Residential Girls’ School within Umerkote police limits here on Monday.The deceased was identified as Gulapi Santa, a Class IX student of the school. Gulapi, who hailed from Nacgodi village, was staying in the school hostel.

As the news of Gulapi’s death spread, locals and her family members blocked the Umerkote-Kondagam State Highway for several hours demanding immediate arrest and removal of the school headmistress. Due to the blockade, vehicular traffic came to a standstill and was resumed only after local Tehsildar Runu Lakra persuaded the agitators to withdraw their protest.

Family members of Gulapi alleged that headmistress of the school had treated the girl badly. As Gulapi was in stress over the ill-treatment, she took the extreme step, they added. According to police, Gulapi had gone to her village to attend the tenth day ritual of one of her relatives. She came back to the school hostel on Sunday evening. However, she took the extreme step during the early hours of Monday by hanging herself with a shawl.Police have registered a case and investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of death, said Umerkote IIC Beraindar Senapati.