A 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district has died by suicide after school authorities allegedly barred her from taking an exam because her school fee of Rs 800 had not been paid.

The Class 9 student went to school yesterday to take a test, her mother has said in a complaint to the police. “School manager Santosh Kumar Yadav, officer Deepak Saroj and Principal Rajkumar Yadav and others humiliated her publicly and did not let her take the exam. Upset over their behaviour, my daughter came back home and went to her room. I was out to work in the fields. When I came back home, I saw my daughter had died by suicide,” she said, seeking action against the school authorities.

Police have registered an FIR under Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which relates to abetment of suicide of a child or a person of unsound mind.

Mohammed Arif, a lawyer and the local panchayat member, said those responsible for pushing the girl to the edge must face strict action. “If students are humiliated in the name of education, the administration must step in. The guilty must be punished so that those running a business of education are punished and children get a good education,” he said.

Mr Arif also referred to a similar incident in Jethwara, also in Pratapgarh district, in which a Class 12 student, Shivam Singh, died by suicide after he was refused an admit card.

Durgesh Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police in the district, said they have registered a case and a probe is on.

The girl’s mother said the family had already paid dues of Rs 1,500 and Rs 800 was outstanding. “I was working in the field. When I returned, everyone was running around. That’s when I found out.” 

Inputs by Amitendra Srivastava