A 17-year-old Class 12 student of a government school in Delhi’s Krishna Nagar died after she allegedly self-immolated on the school premises around noon, when classes were underway on Saturday, police said.
The police recovered a suicide note and a petrol bottle from her bag, officers said.
Delhi education minister Ashish Sood visited the spot and sought a detailed report from the police. “During proceedings, certain materials were recovered from the spot and the deceased’s school bag. The girl’s sister-in-law alleged that neither the school administration nor the police informed the family about the incident.
Police said her charred body was found behind the guard room by school staffers, but refused to share the contents of the purported suicide note. Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Rajendra Prasad Meena said the student died by suicide but refused to share details regarding the note. The circumstances leading to the incident are being examined,” DCP Meena said. “We came looking for her as she had not returned home after her classes,” she said. Sood, terming the incident “deeply distressing”, said the police is investigating, and the school management has handed over all available evidence. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav said the incident “raises concerns about the education system and safety of children.”
“We entered the school and found a student’s burnt body lying behind a water tank. The girl’s family members reached the spot at around 1pm. Delhi Fire Services (DFS) Fire Officer Anoop Singh said the fire control room received a call at 11.58am about a child’s self-immolation at a government school and one fire tender was rushed. We don’t know her exact age, but she was a Class 12 student.
It is not yet clear what was used to start the fire,” said Singh.
