The parents of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly died by suicide following mental harassment by a school teacher and the father of a classmate have begun a 25-hour hunger strike in Assam’s Moran, demanding the immediate arrest of those they hold responsible for their daughter’s death.
The hunger strike commenced on Wednesday at Bamunbari Tini Ali in Moran, where the bereaved parents sought justice for their daughter, Ainee Sonowal, a Class IX student who died on June 16.
According to the family, Ainee took the extreme step after allegedly enduring severe mental harassment following an incident involving a fake Instagram account. They claimed that after a dispute with a classmate, the teenager created a fake Instagram account using a teacher’s photograph and posted objectionable comments.
The family alleged that the teacher, identified as Chandrani Pradhan, subsequently summoned Ainee to the school and subjected her to intense mental harassment. They further claimed that the 14-year-old was allegedly made to post a WhatsApp status from her father’s mobile phone admitting her mistake.
According to her parents, the humiliation and fear that the incident had brought disgrace upon the family left the teenager emotionally distressed, ultimately leading her to die by suicide.
The family alleged that despite lodging an FIR, the police have not arrested the accused. They also claimed that the teacher named in the complaint is currently absconding.
The protest has drawn support from several organisations, including the All Assam Students’ Union, All Tai Ahom Students’ Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and the Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union.
Leaders of the participating organisations warned that if the accused are not arrested within the next seven days, they would intensify the agitation through a broader democratic movement demanding justice for the deceased student.
The police had not issued any official statement on the allegations made by the family at the time of filing this report.
