The mother of the 15-year-old who allegedly died by suicide after being subjected to bullying has taken umbrage at the latest statement released by Global Public School (GPS) International referring to her late son’s admission to the school as a ‘second chance.’
In a statement issued here, she said the school’s statement implied that he was expelled from his previous school, which was entirely misleading as he was neither expelled nor sought to leave his previous school – GEMS Modern Academy.
“In fact, the GEMS school wanted us to continue his education there. However, we took the difficult decision to apply for a transfer certificate and enrol him in GPS International. The GPS school’s insinuation otherwise is an attempt to deflect responsibility,” the statement said.
She also refuted the school’s claim that the family had signed an exclusive undertaking, which, she said, further perpetuated a misleading narrative—suggesting her son was a problematic student requiring special monitoring, which, she claimed, was untrue.
The statement claimed that the family had lodged a written complaint with the school authorities on January 23, 2025, bringing to their attention the evidence of ragging and bullying, along with details from social media posts. The school’s claim that it learned about the ragging incident only through social media was completely false, she said. “Several other students had reported bullying to the school authorities just a week before my son’s death. Had the school acted in time, my son’s life could have been saved. The boy was only a witness to a fight that occurred at the school a day before his death and was not a participant, contrary to the statement given by the school,” she added.
The school’s release claimed that the boy’s stepfather had attended a meeting of the school authorities with him after the said incident and was advised that such incidents should not be repeated. “Even on that day, no complaints or issues about the school were reported by the parents to us. The boy had spent merely 39 working days from November 4, 2024, to January 15, 2025, in the school,” the school authorities said in the statement.
According to the school authorities, based on some Instagram posts, the boy’s parents approached them regarding some ragging issues mentioning the names of some other students after his death. They claimed that they conducted enquiries with the students and parents who were reportedly involved in the alleged bullying incident and also their teachers and classmates to find out the veracity of the incident. “The children allegedly involved in the incident including parents were again questioned by the police team, and they have vehemently denied any such incident or wrongdoing. We were also advised by the police team not to take any hasty decisions or actions on the children without the reports and findings from them considering the age of the children involved,” the school’s statement said.
SIT invokes abetment to suicide charges
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged suicide of the 15-year-old boy has invoked charges of abetment to suicide. Reportedly, the SIT has filed a report before the court seeking to add the relevant sections, though no one has been named as an accused yet. The accused would be added during the course of the investigation, said sources.
(Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling any of the following numbers: DISHA – 1056, 0471-2552056, State’s health helpline 104, Maithri – 0484-2540530, Thanal Suicide Prevention Centre – 0495-2760000.)
Published – February 05, 2025 01:21 am IST