The school allegedly barred her from the exam since her family had not paid fees since April 2020. No suicide note was found, said the police. A Dalit schoolgirl was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her home in Banda district’s Baberu police station area early on Monday morning.
Sanjana Devi’s family told the police that she died by suicide because she was depressed after her school did not allow her to sit for a half-yearly examination on December 21. The school allegedly barred her from the exam since her family had not paid fees since April 2020. No suicide note was found, said the police.
Police started an inquiry after the girl’s father filed a complaint. Investigators are now collecting the call details of her cell phone.
“Girl’s father Anant Kumar, a Dalit, has held the school manager responsible in his complaint. An inquiry is on and so far no FIR has been lodged in the matter. In her complaint, father stated that school management did not allow Sanjana to give an examination on 21 December. In the preliminary inquiry, we checked the attendance register of the school and found the girl had taken the exam on December 21,” said Baberu SHO Bhaskar Mishra.
According to him, the school records show that the girl missed the last two exams held on December 23 and 26. Additional SP Mahendra Pratap Chauhan said, “Thirty students did not pay fees and still they took the half-yearly examinations. We are looking into all angles.”