M Lavanya, a class 12 student of Sacred Hearts High School in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu had committed suicide on January 19. Her death has sparked a political uproar in the southern state as well as on social media.
Why did M Lavanya commit suicide?
According to Lavanya’s parents, the 17-year-old consumed an insecticide on her school campus because she was being regularly tortured by the two nuns of her school staff to change her religion. Her parents have accused the school authorities of pressuring her to convert to Christianity which compelled her to take her life.
Before her suicide, the girl claimed in a video that the school authorities were to blame for her death.
What is Lavanya’s statement?
According to one of her video statements, Sister Raquel Mary allegedly pressured the deceased student’s parents to convert to Christianity, and still, the State government has taken no action despite the footage and her mother’s testimony.
She further informed the authorities that she was forced to clean rooms and toilets on campus by the hostel warden.
Lavanya in a video said that they (school officials) had asked my parents in my presence if they can convert me to Christianity and help her for further studies. Since I did not accept, they kept scolding me.
Police investigation in the Lavanya case
Meanwhile, the warden, Sakayamari, has been arrested by local police, who are conducting their investigation from various angles.
Unidentified people have also been charged under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Juvenile Justice Act for capturing the video.
Several Hindu organisations and members of the public, on the other hand, have called for an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
What do Lavanya’s parents have to say?
S Muruganantham, Lavanya’s father, told the Madras High Court that the police were attempting to find the person who had filmed the video.
He claimed that the cops were attempting to protect the people who tortured his daughter in order to convert her religion.
The deceased’s mother said that we have lost our daughter but we do not want the same to happen with anyone else’s child.
Political leaders views on Lavanya’s case
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad condemned the act and demanded that the government should undertake a fair and open investigation into the incident.
ABVP’s National Media Convenor and Delhi State Secretary Sidharth Yadav said that the suicide of a girl student at Sacred Hearts High School in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu due to pressure of conversion is heartbreaking. We are in this fight for justice. We stand with the family of the deceased. We have also submitted a memorandum to the Governor and urged him for a fair trial and transparent investigation of the matter. We demand to introduce new laws as soon as possible to prohibit religious conversions across the Nation.
What is the court’s order on Lavnaya’s case?
The Madras High Court has directed the Thanjavur Police to investigate the viral video vigorously.
It also requested officers not to harass the person who took the video, an allegation levelled by the girl’s family.
Police authorities should focus their efforts on the situation that led to the child’s suicide, the HC stated.
