Class 10 Delhi suicide victim was 'visibly shaken, crying'; said teachers 'tortured' him, witness says

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A Class 10 student who died by suicide after jumping from an elevated platform near the Rajendra Place Metro Station was "deeply distressed" in the hours leading up to his death, a witness who shared an e-rickshaw with him has said.

The teen jumped from the station on November 18, shortly after leaving school, an incident that has triggered outrage, an FIR and the suspension of four teachers named in the case.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the witness, who has been identified as 45-year-old Deepshika, said she boarded an e-rickshaw with her son and another school student around 2:15 pm near the boy’s school. Moments later, the Class 10 student also joined them, visibly shaken and crying.

She recalled that he urgently asked the driver to head towards the metro station. When she gently asked him why he was in tears, he shared grievances about his school environment, she said, according to a report by News18.

“When I gently asked him what was wrong, he said, ‘I am in Class 10. There are just ten days left for the board exam…but the teachers are torturing me. My father is a businessman…but these teachers…’ He went on to say that the ‘torture’ had continued throughout the year and that for every small issue, the teachers insisted that his parents be called to the school,” Deepshika told the media.

According to her account, the boy repeatedly wiped his eyes while speaking about his father, who frequently worked out of state. The student reportedly questioned how his parents could manage repeated school visits along with their professional commitments.

“When my son asked him about the teachers, the boy began crying louder,” she said.

The ride lasted only a few minutes, Deepshikha recalled. She said she stepped off at Gole Market, one stop before the student’s destination, but noticed he did not have money on him. She handed him ₹10 before leaving, for which, reports said, he softly thanked her.

Around half an hour later, at approximately 2:45 pm, the teen jumped from the metro platform, the news report said.

A day after the kid took the tragic step, Delhi Police registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by the student’s father. School authorities subsequently suspended four teachers pending investigation.

A handwritten note recovered from the student’s school bag has become a critical piece of evidence in the inquiry. Police officials said the note described repeated humiliation, harsh reprimands and continuous “torture”, along with the names of the teachers he held responsible. The message also included an apology to his parents and brother. The child also said that he wishes no other student goes through what he went through.

“If I had even the slightest idea that he was going to take such a drastic step, I would have stopped the e-rickshaw, taken his parents’ number, and contacted them,” she said.