16-Year-Old Girl Writes Note, Kills Self After Teacher Scolds Her For Cheating In Test

A 16-year-old Indian girl took her own life after being scolded by her teacher for cheating during a test in school.

The incident happened in Bengaluru, the capital of India's southern Karnataka state. The deceased girl's parents arrived at the school Monday with the girl's body and staged a protest demanding action against the school and the teacher, The Times of India reported Tuesday.

The 10th-grader, identified as Amrutha, was found hanging at her home about six days after her teacher chided her for cheating during the test. The girl's mother opened her bedroom at around 5:15 p.m. Sunday to find her dead daughter and a one-page death note that the teenager left behind.

"Mom, I am sorry. I am not able to forget in school. I can't live with this guilty, I love U mom, dad, grandparent, mama, Jiya, and Diya... Thank you... Your Amrutha [sic]," the girl reportedly wrote in her note.

The teenager's death was registered by cops as an unnatural death case.

Preliminary investigation showed that the aggrieved child ended her life over the teacher scolding her in front of the class and then bringing up the issue in school over the next few days, the New Indian Express reported.

The school's principal defended the teacher's actions and said she could not be held responsible for the girl's death.

"When she saw that Amrutha was cheating, she reprimanded her," the school's principal, Irine Albuquerque, was quoted as saying by the outlet. "We had called her parents to inform them of the incident, and they had also admitted that she had cheated, and scolded her for it. We have definite proof that she was cheating during the exam."

"I don't know why she took an extreme step," the headmistress said, as quoted by Bangalore Mirror. "We summoned her mother, asked why she did not come to school and gave her a re-test. We have proof of the malpractice. It is wrong to say that one of the teachers scolded her. However, if someone makes a mistake, we need to tell the student what is right or wrong."

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.