Coimbatore, Oct 27:
The investigation into the death by suicide of A Akilan, a 16-year-old Dalit Class 11 student from Coimbatore, has been transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), following allegations that he faced caste-based harassment at school.
Akilan, a resident of AT Colony in Peelamedu, died on October 21. His family had alleged that he was repeatedly subjected to caste-based taunts by classmates, including remarks related to his food habits. The allegations prompted protests by his parents and relatives, who demanded a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Following the family’s representation to Coimbatore City Police Commissioner (in-charge) RV Ramya Bharathi, Director-General of Police Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal ordered the transfer of the case to the CB-CID. The city police have been directed to hand over the case records to the specialised investigation wing, and a special officer is likely to be appointed to conduct the probe.
Peelamedu police had arrested two of Akilan’s classmates under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The school had also suspended class teacher P Vijayakumar and headmaster S Arunkumar following the allegations. The investigation will examine the alleged harassment and the circumstances leading to the student’s death.
Meanwhile, Minister for Backward Classes Welfare V Sampath Kumar handed over an order sanctioning Rs 6 lakh as compensation to Akilan’s family. An appointment order was also issued for his sister, Nethra, to work as a junior assistant at a government tribal residential school in Anaikatti.
With the transfer of the case and the announcement of assistance, the family called off its protest. Akilan’s body was expected to be handed over to the family following the post-mortem for the final rites. The CB-CID investigation is expected to examine the allegations and establish the sequence of events.