Forced to remove clothes by teacher, Class 9 girl sets herself ablaze in Jharkhand; probe on

A Class 9 student studying at a girls’ school in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur allegedly set herself on fire on Friday after she was forcibly made to “remove clothes” by a teacher reportedly under suspicion that she was hiding paper chits in her uniform, police said.

The 14-year-old student was rushed to a nearby hospital by her family members with severe burn injuries, and is currently undergoing treatment for the same, a police officer told news agency PTI.

According to reports, doctors said the girl suffered 80 per cent burn injuries and remains critical.

In her statement to police, the girl said that the woman invigilator humiliated her and made her remove clothes at a room beside a classroom to find out if she was hiding paper chits in her uniform. The student alleged that the teacher stuck to her demand despite strong resistance from her.

A complaint has been registered against the teacher, and the matter is currently being investigated, the officer said.

The girl’s mother said that unable to bear the humiliation, the teenager set herself on fire, shortly after coming back home from school.

The incident, meanwhile, has triggered massive outrage among the locals who took to the streets to protest against the same. Several of them said, the PTI report added, that they would visit the school and seek action against the teacher.