Guwahati: The parents of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly ended her life by suicide, after mental harassment by a school teacher and the father of one of her classmates. Today the family launched a 24-hour hunger strike in Moran, demanding the immediate arrest of those they hold responsible for their daughter's death.
The hunger strike began at 9 am at Bamunbari Tini Ali in Moran, where the grieving parents sought justice for their daughter, Ainee Sonowal, a Class IX student who passed away on16th June.
AS per the family, Ainee took the extreme step after allegedly facing severe mental harassment following an incident involving a fake Instagram account. They claimed that after a dispute with a classmate, the teenager created a fake Instagram account using the photograph of a teacher and posted objectionable comments.
The family alleged that the teacher, identified as Chandrani Pradhan, later summoned Ainee to the school and subjected her to intense mental harassment. They further claimed that the 14-year-old was allegedly forced to post a WhatsApp status from her father's mobile phone admitting her mistake.
As per the victim’s parents, the humiliation and fear that her actions had brought disgrace to the family left the teenager emotionally distressed, eventually leading her to take the drastic measure at young age. The family alleged that despite lodging an FIR, the police have failed to arrest the accused. They also claimed that the teacher named in the complaint is currently absconding.
The hunger strike has received support from several organisations, including the AASU, ATASU, AJYCP, KMSS and the Sonowal Kachari Students' Union.
Leaders of the participating organisations warned that if the accused are not arrested within the next seven days, they will launch a larger democratic agitation demanding justice for the deceased student. The police have not yet issued an official statement regarding the allegations made by the family.