The chief of apex child rights body National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Priyank Kanoongo, is to visit Tamil Nadu next week to inquire into the case of the suspicious death of a teenager in a residential school in Chinnasalem of Kallakurichi district. The 17-year-old girl, studying in Class 12 in Sakthi Matriculation school in Chinnasalem, was found dead on July 13 in the hostel compound. A post-mortem reportedly indicated that the girl had sustained injuries before her death.
NCPCR chief Kanoongo will be travelling to Tamil Nadu to look into the case. "I will be visiting Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu on July 27 to inquire into the case of suspicious death of a girl child in a residential school," he tweeted.
I will be visiting kallakurichi,Tamil Nadu on 27 July to inquire into the case of suspicious death of a girl child in a residential school.
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) July 20, 2022
Kanoongo had earlier said that the commission is looking into the matter and will take strict action. Protesters entered the private school, vandalised property and torched school buses on July 17 following the death of the girl.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin took stock of the situation on Tuesday and chaired a high-level meeting with School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and senior officials, through video conference. A special investigation team (SIT) has also been formed by the state police to probe the violence.
Meanwhile, a team of crime branch officers led by CB-CID Superintendent of Police Ziaul Haque inspected the premises of the school, including the site where the student’s body was found on Tuesday, and carried out a dummy body test to match her injuries with the version of events given in the police complaint.