The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the arson and riots that ensued after the death of a 17-year-old student in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi last month, submitted its findings on Monday, August 29. The report revealed that in the violent protests, damages to school property due to arson and rioting were estimated at Rs 3.45 crore. Apart from vehicles that were set on fire, computers, CCTV cameras, water purifiers, solar water heaters, doors and windows of the school also sustained damages.
The SIT report also analysed videos and the photographs that were circulated on social media platforms, believed to have led to rioting and violence outside the school’s premises. According to the report, 954 videos and 150 photographs have been collected and specific parts of it like “setting things ablaze, damaging the properties, breaking down the gates and assault on police personnel” are being analysed to ascertain the identity of the perpetrators. The report added details of the members and admins of several Whatsapp groups who shared instigating audios, images, memes and videos which encouraged people to gather outside the school on July 17 and riot.
It also mentioned that 30 people who created and/or were a part of such groups were arrested. Details of the people who were arrested for rioting and indulging in violent activities outside the school were also included in the report. As many as 40 people have been arrested so far for the violence, including three minors, the report added.
On July 13, the 17-year-old girl was found dead in the premises of the Kaniyamoor Sakthi Matriculation School in Kallakurichi. Her family had protested outside the school alleging foul play in her death for a few days. While the protests remained peaceful, they took a violent turn on July 17 after hundreds of people breached the school walls and caused heavy destruction to school property.
The Madras High Court on August 26 granted bail to five accused in the Kallakurichi student death case, including the school principal and other officials of the institute. The court also observed that there were no signs of foul play in the two post mortem reports, and that “there is no iota of evidence for rape and murder of the deceased as per the postmortem reports”. The findings were corroborated by a team of doctors from the JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry, the court noted.