11-Year-Old Dies By Suicide After Dad Scolds Her Over School Performance: Police

An 11-year-old girl in the Indian state of Maharashtra took her own life earlier this week after she was scolded by her father and harassed by a boy her age, according to police.

The fifth-grade student died by suicide at her home in Rabale's Sambhaji Nagar district Wednesday night, Hindustan Times reported.

She used her sister's dupatta, a traditional shawl that covers the head and shoulders, to hang herself from an iron rod, according to Kiran Patil, a police inspector of the Rabale MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) area.

A neighbor allegedly spotted the girl, who was alone at her family's home when she killed herself.

She was taken to a hospital but was later declared dead, a report by the Free Press Journal said.

Police talked to neighbors and visited the deceased child's school following the death, but they initially did not find anything suspicious, according to the outlet. A postmortem report also did not find any external forces.

The minor was in a jolly mood on the day she died, according to a neighbor.

"She came back home from her neighbor's home in the evening to do some household work before her mother came back. However, when her mother came back, the door was closed from the inside. When the neighbor broke open the door, she was found hanging," Patil said.

However, in a statement that was later provided to authorities, the girl's father said that he had scolded her for "being irregular to school," police said.

"That could be the reason," a Rabale MIDC police officer said, according to Hindustan Times.

In addition, authorities learned of rumors that a boy of the same age as the girl and from the same locality had harassed the 11-year-old prior to her death.

"We will record the statement of the family again. Though, the post-mortem report confirms death by suicide," the Rabale MIDC officer said.

Police have registered an accidental death report, and an investigation has been launched.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.