Residents of Koppa stage protest over suspicious death of girl student in government residential school

Residents of Koppa in Chikkamagaluru district on Monday staged a protest demanding a high-level inquiry into the recent death of a girl at a government residential school in the town.

Hundreds of people took part in the protest march under the banner of Pragatipara Sanghatanegala Okkuta, and demanded investigation into the incident.

A 15-year-old student was found dead in the residential school on June 29. The police registered an unnatural death report.

The victim’s relative said that her mother had tried to contact her over the phone the day before the girl was found dead. However, the hostel authorities did not respond to the calls. “I hope the girl would have been alive now, if she had spoken to her mother that day,” she said.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to MLA for Sringeri T.D. Raje Gowda.

“It should be treated as a case of suspicious death, and the police should probe it in detail. I have spoken to the officials concerned to suspend those whose negligence caused the death of the girl,” he said.

K.L. Ashok of Karnataka Janashakti said that such incidents discourage parents from sending their daughters to schools. “If government schools cannot ensure safety and security for girl children, the people will lose confidence in the system itself,” he said.