Delhi St Columba’s School suicide case: Sprained ankle kept student from dancing, but teachers’ warning broke him

A routine school day in Delhi turned into a tragedy for the family of 16-year-old Class 10 student who died by suicide after allegedly being humiliated by his teachers. What began as a normal morning took a devastating turn when the boy, who had a sprained ankle, refused to perform a dance at school.

According to his family, the teachers reprimanded him harshly, and the pressure he faced that morning pushed him over the edge.

The boy left his school, St Columba’s, through the back gate instead of heading to his usual pick-up point. His family said they grew worried when he did not show up at the designated location.

“The next thing we heard was that he had jumped from the metro station,” a relative was quoted by TOI as saying.

A handwritten note recovered from his school bag is now central to the case. In the note, he blamed the teachers for his extreme step. “The school staff said so much that I had to do it,” he wrote.

“My last wish is that action be taken against them so that no other student does what I did.” He also apologised to his parents and requested that his organs be donated to people who need them. The note allegedly included the names of the teachers he said had humiliated him repeatedly.

Following the incident, the Delhi Police registered an FIR against four teachers who were mentioned in the note. The school management later suspended the four staff members. The suspension order states that they must remain available for all official communication and cannot enter the school premises or interact with any students, parents, or staff without written permission.

Investigators visited the school to speak with students and collect CCTV footage for the inquiry. A police officer said, “We have gathered information about the teachers named in the FIR. Summonses will be issued for them to join the investigation.”

His friends said he had been struggling for some time. One classmate shared that several students had earlier complained about the behaviour of some teachers. “Many students felt the teachers spoke very harshly,” she said.

According to the friends, he was passionate about dancing and theatre, and was building his portfolio for a future in performing arts. “But the drama teacher used to push him and insult him, saying he was overacting. He used to feel very hurt.”