Assam: Parents begin hunger strike seeking justice for 14-year-old daughter who died by suicide

The parents of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly died by suicide following mental harassment by a school teacher and the father of a classmate have launched a 25-hour hunger strike in Assam's Moran, demanding the immediate arrest of those they hold responsible for their daughter's death.

The hunger strike began on Wednesday at Bamunbari Tini Ali in Moran, where the grieving parents sought justice for their daughter, Ainee Sonowal, a Class IX student who died on June 16.

According to the family, Ainee took the extreme step after allegedly facing severe mental harassment following an incident involving a fake Instagram account. They claimed that after a dispute with a classmate, the teenager created a fake Instagram account using the photograph of a teacher and posted objectionable comments.

The family alleged that following the incident, the teacher, identified as Chandrani Pradhan, summoned the girl to the school and subjected her to intense mental harassment. They further claimed that the 14-year-old was allegedly forced to post a WhatsApp status from her father's mobile phone admitting her mistake.

According to her parents, the humiliation and the fear that her actions had brought disgrace to her family left the teenager emotionally shattered, eventually leading her to die by suicide.

The family alleged that despite lodging an FIR, the police have failed to arrest the accused. They also claimed that the teacher named in the complaint is currently absconding.

The hunger strike has received support from several local organisations, including the All Assam Students' Union, All Tai Ahom Students' Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and the Sonowal Kachari Students' Union.

Leaders of the organisations who joined the protest warned that if the accused are not arrested within the next seven days, they would launch a larger democratic agitation demanding justice for the deceased student.

The police have not yet issued an official statement on the allegations raised by the family.