Hundreds Attend Funeral of Tamil Nadu Girl Who Died in Kallakurichi School

The body of the student was cremated on Saturday after a court-ordered re-autopsy was completed.

Amid heavy security by the state police, hundreds attended the funeral of the 17-year-old girl who died in a school in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi last week under mysterious circumstances

(Photo: The Quint)

Amid heavy security by the state police, hundreds attended the funeral of the 17-year-old girl who died in a school in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi last week under mysterious circumstances, triggering violent protests in the region.

The body of the student was cremated on Saturday, 23 July, after a court-ordered re-autopsy was completed, as was demanded by the family.

The last rites of the Class 12 girl were held after the Madras High Court on Friday ordered the family to accept her body, which was in police custody, and asked the parents not to draw the case out further.

The court order came is response to a plea by the Tamil Nadu government, seeking direction to the parents to collect her mortal remains.

The family had refused to accept the mortal remains, alleging foul play, following which the Madras High Court, on 18 July, had ordered a second post-mortem to be conducted, which did not reveal anything new other than what was already established in the first post-mortem report.

However, the father had alleged that the report of the second post-mortem had been tampered with and that he was not allowed to attend the procedure.

The Case

The student was found dead in her hostel at the Kanimayoor Sakthi Matriculation school. As the school claimed her death to be a suicide, the police discovered a suicide note in her room that alleged torture by two teachers at the school.

On 17 July, violent protests and arson erupted in the district and the school demanding action against the school and the accused.

The police have arrested the two teachers mentioned in the suicide note.