Another school, another girl, another tragedy

NEW DELHI: A teenaged girl studying at a government school in the Capital hanged herself in her house over the weekend, a day after she was allegedly admonished and slapped by a teacher for “stealing” a classmate’s money.Fifteen-year-old Zeenat Praveen, a Class VIII student of Bachchan Prasad Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya at Devli, was allegedly admonished and slapped by her teacher on April 23 on suspicion of stealing Rs.130 belonging to her classmate.The next day when the girl went to school, the teacher sent her back home and also called up her mother asking her to come and see her.Father’s version“When Zeenat and her mother reached the school, the teacher told the mother that the girl had stolen money and that her name had been struck off the school’s rolls. The teacher also told her that the girl would not be allowed to attend school and she should better be taught some household chores,” said Zeenat’s father Mohammad Zahid Hussain, a tailor at a private firm in the Okhla Industrial Area. On their way back from school, the mother busied herself buying some groceries and asked Zeenat to go home on her own. When the mother reached home a few minutes later, she found the girl hanging from the ceiling fan with a “chunni”.The mother eased the girl down and tried to revive her. Some neighbours also gathered at the spot and informed the police. The girl was rushed from the Sangam Vihar residence to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences where she was declared brought dead.Though the family alleged that Zeenat killed herself after being humiliated by her teacher, the police said they had not come across any evidence to prove that the teacher was at fault.Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Shalini Singh said: “We have initiated inquest proceedings. The school Principal has denied striking off the girl’s name from the rolls. The teacher claimed that she had told the girl’s mother about the theft and asked the girl to mend her ways.” For their part, the school authorities claimed to have recovered the stolen money from Zeenat, while the girl’s family said that she killed herself even before they could confront her over the issue.Eyes donatedThe tragedy notwithstanding, the girl’s family has donated her eyes. “Now that Zeenat has gone, her eyes will light up someone else’s life. So we decided to donate the eyes,” said her 50-year-old father