Kallakurichi girl suicide: How students, caste-based groups incited violence

The death of a Class 12 girl on the premises of a school at Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi has seen over 300 detained in connection with violent protests with 70 being detained on Sunday alone.

Meanwhile, two men and a woman holding senior positions in the school management were arrested in connection with the death of the girl.

Let’s take a look at what happened, and how students and caste-based groups incited violence:

The girl, an inmate of a room on the third floor of the hostel, was suspected to have died by suicide by jumping to the ground from the top floor.

A post-mortem report indicated that she had sustained injuries before her death.

The girl’s family accused mathematics and chemistry teachers of torturing her over her studies.

The girl student’s parents, relatives and people belonging to her village Periyanasalur, off Veppur in Cuddalore district, held back-to-back protests raising suspicions in connection with her death and sought justice.

The protests were held in both Kallakurichi and Cuddalore Districts.

Blaming the school authorities and seeking action against them they held a protest on 16 July for the fourth successive day.

On Sunday, the protest turned violent.

The agitators had demanded probe by an independent investigating agency and arrest of those responsible for the girl’s death.

Police registered a case and initiated probe and following violence on 17 July, the matter was transferred to the CB-CID.

‘Student and caste-based groups incited violence’, say cops

As per The Quint, protesters affiliated to a Thevar (OBC) caste group – to which the deceased belonged – assembled at Kallakurichi town to protest from 13 to 16 July.

Each day, the handful of protesters left Kallakurichi peacefully, a resident of the town told The Quint. “The police may have expected Sunday’s protest to be small in number, similar to the protests that were held earlier,” he added.

As the numbers swelled, the local police failed to gauge the extent of mobilisation, a police official based in Kallakurichi told The Quint, even though he refused to identify the caste groups and student groups which had come together under one banner.

WhatsApp, YouTube inflame passions

The News Minute spoke to Shankar (name changed), a 22-year-old graduate from  Kallakurichi district about how WhatsApp and YouTube were used to inflame passions and organise protests.

Shankar, a former student of the same school as the deceased, said many of his friends and former classmates received invites to WhatsApp groups demanding justice.

They spent the past few days receiving and forwarding updates, raising questions around the circumstances of her death, discussing the incident in detail, questioning school management’s involvement, and demanding action.

The family’s concerns over the girl’s death were spun into unsubstantiated but specific theories and widely circulated online and over WhatsApp, as per the report.

WhatsApp groups titled ‘Justice for…’ with hundreds of members were formed in the days leading up to Sunday’s protest. Messages and videos claiming a cover-up by police and management also began circulating, as per the report.

On YouTube, videos propounded theories holding the school management responsible and promoted ‘evidence’ of the same.

Some of these messages were circulated by various political parties, youth organisations, and also fan groups of huge Tamil film stars, as per the report.

Shankar told the many showed up to Sunday’s protest as they felt there had been no answers or clarifications to the many theories and doubts over the case. Shankar, said when he and his friends left home on Sunday morning, they expected a peaceful protest.

But things quickly went sideways.

Protest spirals out of control on Sunday

As per New Indian Express, Sunday’s ‘road blockade’ which involved over 3,000 people quickly turned violent.

Though police blocked the Salem to Ulundurpet highway, on which the school is located, youths from other districts travelled through villages to join the protest.

The police hadn’t expected so many people to turn up. Protesters overran the barricades, stormed the school premises and set buses on fire – some even pausing to take selfies. Parts of the school were ransacked and equipment vandalised, as per the report. A tractor-trailer was used to damage and topple buses.

Some climbed the top of the arch at the school entrance and vandalised the name board, while others held banners demanding justice for the victim.

Still others left with school furniture which they set fire to on the road, as per the report.

Fire tenders were unable to reach the school until police regained control.

Fire tenders were blocked by the mob and couldn't reach the school, till police brought the situation under control, as per the report.

SC refuses including doctor of choice for post-mortem

The Supreme Court on Tuesday did not agree to the plea of the girl's father that a doctor of his choice be permitted to be part of a team of experts ordered by the Madras High Court to conduct a fresh post-mortem on her body.

The Madras High Court, while taking strong note of violent incidents, had directed the state police chief to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to identify the rioters and take stern action against them.

It had also ordered a re-post-mortem on the body of the girl. But a plea from the victim's father to include a doctor of his choice to participate in the re-post-mortem was turned down.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana was urged by the father of the girl to let a doctor of his choice be included in the team of experts and his plea against the high court's direction be listed for urgent hearing.

“Please stay the re-post mortem ordered by the high court, it will be held today,” the counsel for the father said.

“The high court has constituted a panel of doctors for conducting the post-mortem. Don't you trust the high court,” the bench said, adding ”Sorry. We don't allow that”.

The top court, however, agreed to hear the plea of the father against the high court order on 21 July.

MK Stalin vows stringent action

Meanwhile, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday expressed agony over the violence in Kallakurichi in the state and said violence is against development and warned of stringent action against those who disturbed peace.

“Educational institutions should regard each and every student as its own pupil while imparting education. I warn that stringent action would be taken if they are found to go against the law,” the chief minister said in his address via videoconference at the Tamil Nadu Day celebrations.

“They should realise that violence is against development. Tranquil atmosphere alone will ensure a peaceful Tamil Nadu for all,” Stalin said.

With inputs from agencies