14-Year-Old Ends Life After Parents Force Her To Attend Physical Classes

A teenager in India allegedly killed herself after her parents forced her to attend school.

The 14-year-old unidentified girl from Bhimarangini village in the eastern state of Odisha died Saturday after reportedly consuming poison the previous night.

The teenager was unwilling to go to her government residential school in Satiguda, near her village, after her physical classes reopened earlier this month. The girl, who was in the tenth grade, took her life after her parents repeatedly forced her not to miss the classes, according to a police complaint, as reported by The New Indian Express.

"When I kept on asking her not to miss physical classes, she consumed pesticide last night at home. We then brought her to Malkangiri district headquarters hospital. However, she passed away today," the grieving father said, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

The teen's father also said his daughter had suffered from serious health complications, and was undergoing treatments for the same.

Based on the father's complaint, the police have registered a case of unnatural death.

The schools in the state remained closed for almost a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the classes reopened as per government orders on Feb.7.

However, the tenth-grade students from the state have put forth a demand that the government should not be administering offline exams for them as regular classes were not conducted properly due to the pandemic. They also demand their evaluations should be based on their internal assessments. Meanwhile, the officials from the education board said they have reduced the syllabus of the students by more than 33 percent in the backdrop of COVID-19 disruptions.

Cases of young children taking their lives have significantly increased during the pandemic, according to reports. The researchers believe increased screen time, social media use, or bereavement may have adversely affected the mental health of children during the COVID-19 lockdown, causing anxiety and mood disorders in them.

India reported 34,113 new COVID-19 cases as of Monday, while the number of active cases dipped to 4,78,882 compared to the previous day. Meanwhile, Odisha reported 859 new COVID-19 cases, including 172 individuals below 18 years of age Monday.

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.