Jharkhand: Humiliated For Wearing Bindi At St Xavier's School, Minor Hindu Girl Commits Suicide; Two Arrested

In connection with the suicide of Usha Kumari, a 16-year-old girl, the principal and a female teacher of Dhanbad St. Xavier School Tetulmari were arrested and subsequently sent to jail on Tuesday (11 July) afternoon.

The tragic incident occurred on Monday morning when the girl took her own life after allegedly being humiliated and slapped by the female teacher during a prayer session at school. The reason for the humiliation was said to be the girl's act of wearing a 'Bindi' on her forehead.

Prior to committing the act, the girl left a suicide note addressed to the officer in-charge of Tetulmari police station. In the note, she held the lady teacher known as 'Sindhu Madam' and Principal RK Singh accountable for her decision.

She expressed her inability to tolerate public humiliation at school and expressed a preference for death. She demanded that action be taken against the teacher and the principal.

The girl was later found hanging from a ceiling fan in her residence in Hanumangarhi Colony, located approximately 25 km away from the district headquarters. The police discovered the suicide note and registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the teacher and the principal.

Significantly, Vandana Devi, the mother of the victim, revealed in her statements to the media that Usha had attended school but was promptly dismissed after being subjected to severe humiliation.

She confided in Vandana, sharing the entire incident, after which they reached school to meet the principal, but were again insulted and sent back.

However, when 24 hours had passed with no action taken by the police, the family members of the victim, along with their relatives, staged a protest on the road, displaying the girl's body at 10 am in the morning. Their demand was the immediate arrest of the teacher and principal.

Upon receiving the information, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nisha Murmu of the Baghmara region arrived at the scene and assured the family that appropriate action would be taken against the guilty teacher and Principal RK Singh.

In the afternoon, Ashish Kumar Yadav, the officer in-charge of Tetulmari police station, arrested both accused individuals from the school premises and subsequently sent them to jail. However, the accused have denied allegations.

The dead body of the deceased was sent to SNMMCH for post-mortem.

The girl's father, Bijay Bauri, had passed away a few years ago.

BJP's Jharkhand president Babulal Marandi tweeted regarding the incident, "Don't know why such schools (St Xavier's) hate sanatana symbols?" He requested the CM to cancel the school's registration.