Rahul Gandhi on Kerala Student Suicide: "Bullying Destroys Lives

What happened in #Kerala is a reminder that ‘bullying is not harmless; it kills.’ Such vulnerabilities of our children must be addressed immediately: Rahul
This is the situation of Mihir Ahammed, a nine-year-old standard nine student, who died a pathetic death due to alleged bullying. His mother’s complaint to the police started a governmental conclusion on schools’ policies and the police involvement.
Another child; Mihir Ahammed, a ninth-grader lost his life by suicide to bullying. Her complaint to the police and the government resulted into an investigation whereby the polices of the school administration were put under probe.
File Photo: Rahul Gandhi (IANS)
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By PTI

Published : Feb 3, 2025, 7:57 AM IST

2 Min Read
The almost daily reports of a Kerala school student committing suicide due to alleged ragging is very sad and must be stopped, which includes all culprits have to face the law, which includes the bully as well as those who ignored the incident and did nothing, said the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

It is rather sad to learn that the young boy Mihir Ahammed committed suicide in one of the schools in Kerala as a result of bullying. My sympathy to his family,” He commented that on the website X.

Such experience no child should go through, especially not Mihir. Schools should be safe places for children and he had to endure bullying at the tender age. Those who have bullied and those who have not come to the defence of such atrocities against women must be prosecuted, he urged.

However, bullying is not something that has to be looked lightly; it goes ahead and kills lives. It means that parents have to ensure that their children embrace and practice kindness, love, empathy, and the right kind of courage that is being able to stand up for one’s self. Take your child seriously if he or she says that has been bullied, or if he or she is the bully, act fast, advised Gandhi.

The Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty has asked the Director of General Education (DGE) to investigate the circumstances that led to suicide of the boy on January 15 which his parents allege, was because of ragging by seniors in the school located near Kochi.

The undesired incident has been reported to the Director of General Education to investigate the matter and report back such additional action, Sivankutty said in one of the posts on his Facebook page.

Any negative activity being conducted in any school, irrespective of the streams, the Department will detect and eradicate them, and prosecution of the institution will be prosecuted. Indeed, if it would be necessary, the amendment to the law will be reviewed,” he wrote.

Speaking of an incident, he said, “A mother has accused that her son hanged himself to death on the charges of brutal torture at a CBSE school in Thiruvaniyoor, Ernakulam.” This is unfortunate and quite shocking yet such an incident is now a trend around the globe. The policemen will arrest him the soonest time possible.”

The boy studying in the ninth class consumed some poisonous substance, which forced him to jump down from the flat at Tripunithura here. The woman then filed a complaint to the chief minister and the state police chief of the school’s ragging which he claimed forced him to kill himself.

More so, in her affidavit, the respondent provided details of ragging and physical assault on the victim from his friends and from the social media messages.