A 14-year-old Class IX student of Bamunbari High School in Assam’s Moran allegedly died by suicide, with her family accusing a teacher and a classmate of subjecting her to sustained mental harassment following a dispute at school. A police complaint has been filed, and an investigation is expected to follow.
The deceased has been identified as Aini Sonowal, a resident of Bamunbari Garh Pathar. According to her family, the incident took place on June 16 when she was alone at home.
Family members stated that Aini had earlier been involved in a disagreement with one of her classmates. Following the dispute, allegations emerged that she had created a fake Instagram account in the classmate’s name and posted objectionable comments using the photograph of a female teacher.
According to the family, the teacher concerned subsequently called Aini to the school in connection with the matter. They have alleged that during the course of the incident, the student was subjected to severe mental pressure and harassment by both the teacher and the classmate.
The family further claimed that as a form of punishment related to the social media controversy, Aini was allegedly made by the teacher to upload an objectionable WhatsApp status using her father’s mobile phone. After the status was posted, relatives and other residents of the village reportedly contacted the family, questioning them about the matter.
Family members alleged that the resulting social embarrassment and emotional distress had a significant impact on the teenager and that she became mentally disturbed in the days preceding her death.
Aini’s mother has sought justice and called on the authorities to conduct a fair and thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Meanwhile, the student’s father lodged an FIR at Bamunbari Police Outpost on Wednesday, naming both the teacher and the classmate in the complaint. Aini’s elder brother also expressed anger over the alleged treatment she received and appealed to the authorities to take appropriate action.
At the time of filing this report, no official statement had been issued by the school administration or the police regarding the allegations made by the family.
