The deceased, Jeevan Zarekar (12), was found hanging at around 6 pm on Thursday.
He had reportedly developed a skin condition earlier in the day, said sources. Chandrapur : A Class V student of Sanmitra Sainik School, a military school at Visapur near Chandrapur, died by suicide on the school’s hostel premises. No suicide note was recovered from the premises.
The school initially did not inform Jeevan’s father Vilas that the child had died by suicide, and only mentioned that his condition had deteriorated, said sources in the family. Police inspector Prabhavati Ekure of Ramnagar police station told The Times of India that the situation became clear after police and school authorities showed the CCTV footage to the parents. She said the footage captured the boy crying before taking the extreme step. Jeevan’s father took him to a doctor in Chandrapur for preliminary treatment and brought him back to the school within about two hours the same day, said police.
The incident initially triggered allegations of negligence against the school authorities by the family. The circumstances surrounding the death began to emerge after Ramnagar police obtained CCTV footage from the school. Jeevan was a resident of Khambada village in Rajura taluka. Investigators suspect that Jeevan became upset on realising that he would have to remain at school rather than return home. The family initially questioned the school management over the circumstances of the incident, alleging negligence and expressing concern over the lack of a clear explanation. Jeevan’s father claimed that the boy appeared cheerful when he dropped him at a school and left for Khambada.
On Thursday, the school management contacted his father and advised him to take the boy home for three to four days until he recovered from the skin condition.