Accusing teacher of harassment, boy dies by suicide in Chhattisgarh

BILASPUR: A 16-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide after accusing a former teacher of physical harassment in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused Aradhana Ekka (30) was arrested on Tuesday based on the suicide note posted by the boy on social media before killing himself, station house officer of Torwa police station Parivesh Tiwari said.

The Class 11 student of a private school was found hanging from the ceiling of his house in Devrikhurd area on March 18, the official said.

The boy lived with his mother, who had stepped out of the house, and on return, found her son hanging, he said.

"Investigations revealed that the boy had posted a 'scheduled message' (that automatically gets posted on a specified date) tagging his friends on Telegram and Instagram social media platforms before taking the extreme step.

The message was written in English in a coded form," Tiwari said.

The police's cyber cell decoded the message and found that the boy had accused Ekka of physically and mentally harassing him, following which the teacher was arrested, he said.

Ekka, a resident of Sirgitti area, was earlier teaching in the victim's school, but moved to a government school, the official said.

The accused remained in contact with the boy and kept visiting his house and even met him on the day of the suicide, he said.

The accused was booked under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the IPC and sections 11 (sexual harassment) and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the SHO said, adding that further investigation is underway.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.)