2449 students committed suicide from Jan 2009 to Aug 2014: IG

Tamil Nadu Police today informed the Madras High Court bench that the number of complaints against teachers, principals and professors, blaming them for students committing suicide were very few compared to the number of suicides during January 2009-August 2014 period.
Inspector General of Police (Administration) P Thamarai Kannan, who filed the report in court today, said 2449 students had committed suicide during the period. But only 30 complaints had been received against teachers and the others.
Tirunelveli City where 247 students committed suicide accounted for six complaints, followed by Thanjavur where four complaints were received with 94 students committing suicide.

The IG said a total of 83,103 persons had committed suicide during the period, with state capital Chennai accounting for maximum number of 13,506, of whom 363 were students.
Coimbatore district, including the city accounted for 6383 suicides, with no complaints, while Madurai city and district accounted for 4441 suicides.
The IG gave year-wise and district wise figures of suicides in all 38 police units in the state, including city police and rural police.

The bench had sought details on number of cases registered against teachers on complaints of students committing suicide after being reprimanded/punished by them in the last five years.

Justice N Kirubakaran gave this direction while hearing a petition by one John Kennedy, Principal of St Thomas Higher Secondary School, Nadukaveri, Thanjavur district, seeking to quash proceedings against him pending before the Judicial Magistrate court at Tiruvaiyaru, on the suicide of one of his students for being scolded.
The petitioner reportedly scolded him for scoring poor marks in the examinations, for which police registered a case under IPC's Section 306 (abetment to suicide), following which charge sheet was filed for the offence under Section 305 (abetment to suicide of a child) before the court.
The petitioner prayed for staying proceedings against him, pending before the Judicial Magistrate court and also to dispense with his personal appearance in the court.

The student had committed suicide on March 7, 2012 for being scolded for low marks in the exams. Based on his father's complaint, the case was registered.