High Court orders policy to prevent suicides of students

The High Court has formed a five-member committee headed by the additional education secretary to design a national policy on the prevention of suicides among students.

The move came on Tuesday amid public anger over the suicide of a class IX student of Viqarunnisa Noon School & College. The court has given the committee a month to file a report.

Additionally, the committee has been asked to investigate and report what led to the death of the student, Aritry Adhikary.

The court has also issued a rule for the government, asking why an order will not be issued for the formation of a national policy to prevent the suicide among students.

The government and the relevant parties have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.

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School authorities alleged that Aritry, a student of class IX, was caught cheating using a mobile phone during her exam on Sunday.

On Monday afternoon, at her Shantinagar home, she locked herself up in her room and committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan.

Her relatives claimed that after the cheating incident, the principal called in her parents and insulted them. That is why the teenager committed suicide, they said.

The Ministry of Education and the Viqarunnisa authorities on Tuesday formed two separate committees for investigation into the suicide. The committees have been told to submit reports within three days.

Education Minister Nurul Islam visited Viqarunnisa on Tuesday as protests simmered over the death of the student. He spoke to the principal, teachers, guardians and students of the institute.

He assured the angry students and guardians of taking action against the culprits following the investigation reports by the committees formed in connection with the suicide.