Two days after the government decision, Tripura police last night handed over the charge of investigation to Superintendent of Police (CID) Abhijeet Saptarsi of suicide of 16-year-old Class XII commerce student of a missionary school Lahari Debbarma who hanged herself on May 25 last following humiliation of theft charge in a shopping mall and subsequently in the school on previous day.
The victim family and the student organisations of the state raised voice against the state police of shielding the accused and diverting the investigation and several organisations demanded a judicial enquiry into the case.
But the state government preferred to hand over the case to CID but the physically the process took longer time, which made the agitators annoyed.
All Tripura Indigenous Students Association (ATISA) alleged that from the very beginning there was an attempt from police side to protect both the shopping mall authority and school.
Police had tried to prove it as a simple suicide case and desperately wanted to protect the accused even after the victim’s mother directly lodged complaints against them.
According to Lahari’s mother Dipali Debbarma, “The mall staff charged her in a theft case without any convincing evidence and compelled me to send a teacher to the mall.
Without making an enquiry or reporting the matter to police she made payment of Rs 3922 to the mall staff as demanded, which Lahari felt ashamed.
Later in the school, I and my daughter was abused and humiliated and finally, she was rusticated from the hostel and verbally told not to come again in the school.
“The principal had allegedly slur Lahari as thief in front of other student and teachers after holding closed-door meeting with some mall staff in the school where her mother was not allowed to enter and speak rather she was also abused in front of others, Dipali told media adding, “The incidents made her upset and whole night she was repenting for the incident and next morning she committed suicide but police did not take my complaint seriously rather killed time to help the accused.”
However, CID officials stated that they have started investigation today and also is verifying the evidence and statements recorded by police so far in connection with the case.
There was no arrest yet but CID would not leave anybody whoever finds guilty in the incident.
The student bodies of BJP, CPI (M) and Congress besides, tribal students’ organisation accused both the mall staff and the school authority of abetting Lahari in committing suicide.
They have been organizing protest separately in the school, in front of the mall and on the street demanding an independent enquiry.