Date:05/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/05/stories/2008040559400400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Schoolgirl commits suicide

Staff Reporter

She allegedly set herself on fire

Holiday was declared for the school on Friday

CHENNAI: A nine-year-old girl, Bhuvaneshwari, studying in Corporation Middle School in Chinnandimadam in Kodungaiyur, allegedly committed suicide on Thursday.

According to the Kodungaiyur police, Bhuvaneshwari had taken the extreme step in a fit of depression. The class IV student went to school to take examination on Thursday .

In the school, students of classes VI, IV and II were asked to sit together and take the test. Following complaints from some students that their pens and some money had been stolen, the teacher decided to search the school satchels of all students in the classroom.

After the test, Bhuvaneshwari had spoken about the incident to her sister. She apparently told her sister that she was upset that the teacher, who knew her well and had a good opinion about her, suspected her of theft, police said.

Around 4 p.m. she allegedly took a glass of kerosene from the stove, doused herself and set herself on fire. She was admitted to Kilpauk Government Hospital with 67 per cent burns. She died around 1 a.m. on Friday. Following the incident, Chennai Corporation’s Joint Commissioner (Education), Kakarla Usha, declared holiday for the school on Friday.

Police said they had registered a case under section 309 of Indian Penal Code for attempt to suicide on Thursday it was later changed to section 174 of Criminal Procedure Code on Friday after her death.