CLASS OF SHAME

Girl with 92% marks in Class XII fails to get into LSR, kills herselfTIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gurgaon: Kritika Khanna, who passed out of Shri Ram School in Gurgaon this year with 92% in Class XII boards, flung herself to death from her 11th floor balcony apparently because she failed to get admission in Lady Shriram College. “Her family members did not divulge much, but said she was suffering from depression and had withdrawn,’’ said a police officer.

Police said Kritika was in the balcony of their apartment in DLF City’s Regency Park conversing with her mother, a teacher in Shri Ram School, and her brother. “All of a sudden, the girl took the deadly plunge from the railing. It took a while for her family to realize what happened,’’ said Jagdish Prasad, SHO Sector-29 police station. Shri Ram School officials were not available for comment. Peer pressure seemed to be the main reason behind her suicide, he said. “Her parents have told us while most of her friends got admission in LSR, she had to get into Jesus and Mary College in psychology honours. This led to her taking the extreme step,’’ Prasad added. The police found no suicide note. Kritika’s body was handed over to her family on Saturday after a post-mortem was conducted.

Kritika’s death sent alarm bells ringingin the light of increased reports of students going into depression for failing to get a college of their choice. Said clinical psychologist Dr Jayanti Dutta of Delhi University, “This is on the rise. We have rigid parameters and if we take alternative options in life we are not appreciated by the peer group. We are judged by parameters such as percentage and marks, not on our intelligence,’’ she said.

Schoolowner rapes Jaipur teen, Haryana teacher strips 9-yr-old
Jaipur/Faridabad: Two girls faced harrowing time at their schools with one being raped by the schoolowner and another stripped off her shirt by her teacher for not paying tuition fee. In Jaipur, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by the owner of her school, Ramesh Sain, at the school’s office on Friday. Angry locals pelted stones and gheraoed the police station to protest against the incident. The accused has been arrested.

In Faridabad on the outskirts of Delhi a Class III student was stripped off her top by her class teacher for not paying her tuition fee despite the fact that the child, a daughter of an autorickshaw driver, was entitled to full fee concession. The teacher has been detained. “I was forced to take off my Tshirt. When my teacher caught hold of my skirt, I told her not to do that. When I asked why she was doing it, she said it was the principal’s order. Then I was asked to stand half naked for a long time and when I tried to cover myself, she asked me to stand straight,’’ the nine-year-old victim said.

The victim’s mother said she has a document to prove that her daughter is exempted from paying fees. Taking note of the incident, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPR) has said stern action will be taken against the teacher if she is found guilty. “Not only the teacher, the school management and authorities are equally responsible,’’ Sandhya Bajaj, NCPR member, said.

The police have booked the two teachers of Model School in Faridabad allegedly involved in the incident. A case has been registered against the teachers, identified as Lalita and Nitu, under section 354 (assault on woman with the intention to outrage her modesty) and under the SC/ST Act, police sources said. AGENCIES