The death of a Grade 8 student at a government higher primary school in Bengaluru’s Anekal has sparked fury after incidents of a guest teacher and assistant cook at the school abusing children have come to light.

Madhushree, a Grade 8 student, committed suicide at her residence on Wednesday night, according to education department officials. Guest teacher Kavita and assistant cook Kamalamma have come under the scanner since the incident.

The student’s death note reads that false accusations were levelled by the teacher against her in school, which led her to feel extremely dejected. She has clarified that neither her sisters, mother nor brother are responsible for her extreme step. She also said that she is unable to take the humiliation and hence would take her life.

At the backdrop of this death, students of Grade 8 have also written a letter to school authorities citing, “Kamalamma aunty is very abusive while serving us food. Teachers are also very strict. One Muniraju shouts at us. If we do not complete our homework, we are imposed a fine of Rs 10 or Rs 20. We are blamed for any damaged goods despite it not being our fault. Kavitha teacher threatens us with dire consequences such as suspension or issuing transfer certificates from the school at every small mistake.”

A case has been registered at the Suryanagar Police Station, and an investigation is underway. Responding to this, Block Education Officer Gurumurthy said, “I visited the school today after receiving information about the unfortunate death of the student. The student has mentioned the passing away of her father as one of the reasons in her death note. The girl has been cremated, and her family has also lodged a complaint with the police. I am preparing a detailed report and will submit it to the DDPI tomorrow. While we are still examining whether she had any personal or family-related issues, the death note points towards certain other concerns that need to be investigated,” the BEO said.

“The student was a very strong learner and a talented kabaddi player. During my visit, some students informed me that she had shared with her friends that she was allegedly abused by a teacher and the assistant cook at the school. The assistant cook has been identified as Kamalamma, while the guest teacher is Kavitha. I immediately instructed the authorities to remove both of their duties. Since the students are in Grade 8, teachers do advise them on discipline and classroom behaviour, and it is possible that the teacher may have scolded students when they were found at fault. However, this alone cannot be considered the reason for the incident. During our enquiry, we also found that the assistant cook had allegedly used inappropriate language and made remarks such as ‘your batch is not good’. I have spoken to the headmistress and directed that she be removed from service,” the BEO added.