Tripura CID to probe tribal girl student’s suicide

A correspondent

Agartala, May 29: The Tripura government has ordered a CID probe into the alleged suicide of a 17-year-old tribal girl student of a private school, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarma said on Tuesday.

The Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma on Tuesday visited the house of the girl, Lahari Debbarma, at Bir Mohon Choudhury Para in Mohinpur sub-division to console the members of her family.

The class 12 student took the extreme step after she was allegedly humiliated by some shopping mall staff and her school authorities after she was accused of stealing. The school authorities had even rusticated her. Considering the gravity of the incident, the State government has decided to hand over the case to the CID and give compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family.

“We have asked the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) to probe the suicide of Lahari Debbarma. We instructed the CID to take suitable legal steps to ensure stern action against the guilty,” Debbarma told the media here.

Lahari went to a shopping mall on May 24 to purchase a gift but was harassed due to false accusations against her about stealing some items, which her mother Dipali Debbarma strongly denied.

Police said the girl committed suicide on Friday at her house, following which her mother lodged an FIR and blamed the school authorities and mall staff for the death.

Shopping mall Manager Samiran Nag refused to talk to the media. The mall authorities could not produce any CCTV footage to prove her guilt. The school authorities also refused to comment.

The opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Congress separately demanded a judicial probe. The student and youth bodies of both parties started an agitation from Monday to demand exemplary action against the guilty persons.