Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday transferred the suicide case of a 17-year-old girl of Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district to the Central Bureau of Investigation, reported ANI.
In an unverified video shared on social media earlier this month, the girl could be purportedly seen saying that she had been harassed as her family had refused to convert to Christianity. The girl is seen saying that she was abused by her hostel warden. The minor also claimed that she was forced to clean the hostel and carry out administrative work. The police have arrested the hostel warden.
The girl had reportedly drank poison on January 9, and died 10 days later. Her father had alleged that she had been tortured after she refused to convert to Christianity. The girl’s parents have sought action against a nun who allegedly tried to convert her.
The case was transferred to the CBI a day after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights visited Thanjavur to conduct an inquiry into the girl’s death. On January 28, the child rights body had alleged that the Tamil Nadu government was not cooperating with the inquiry.
“The Government of Tamil Nadu is reluctant to extend the necessary facilities/support to the NCPCR team for the said inquiry into the incidence on the pretext of imposition of Model Code of Conduct which came into force due to Local Body Ordinary Elections in the State of Tamil Nadu,” the panel said.
The Thanjavur Police are also looking into the veracity of another video in which the girl purportedly said that she was killing herself as she could not focus on her studies due to the chores she was asked to carry out at her hostel.
There are no allegations about religious conversion in this purported video. The video appeared to have been taken while the girl was undergoing treatment at a hospital.
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