Teen from Scheduled Caste Takes Own Life After Beef-Related Harassment at Tamil Nadu School

A 16-year-old Scheduled Caste student, A Akilan, was discovered hanging in his bedroom in Peelamedu, Coimbatore, after reportedly being targeted for eating beef. His mother, Kousalya Devi, said the harassment began when the class teacher asked which students ate beef during a scholarship enrollment, leading two classmates to taunt Akilan about his caste and assault him. Akilan’s father, Ashok Kumar, alleges the teacher Vijayakumar and headmaster Arun Kumar ignored his complaints.

Peelamedu police have charged the teacher, headmaster and the two students with abetment of suicide and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The family staged a protest demanding arrests, while a police commissioner-level inquiry and a Child Welfare Committee investigation are underway.