Thanjavur police probe Lavanya’s grandparents

Coimbatore: Thanjavur district police officials visited Saravanampatti police station in Coimbatore city on Saturday and conducted inquiry with the grandparents of class XII student Lavanya who died by suicide at her school hostel. They recorded their statements at the station in the wake of an interview given by the grandmother, Nithyananda Saraswathi, to a YouTube channel on Friday.

She had claimed in the interview that Lavanya’s mother too had died by suicide around eight years ago and that the situation in the house after that was not conducive for the girl who was forced to stay at the school hostel in Thanjavur. Saraswathi alleged that Lavanya was branded on her cheek by her stepmother last year and she was informed about it by other students. Hence she informed Childline helpline (1098) about the incidents. However, when Childline staff met the girl, she denied the allegations levelled against the stepmother.

Following the YouTube interview, R Brindha, deputy superintendent of police, Vallam sub-division in Thanjavur district, and Sakthivel, inspector of police, and team visited Saravanampatti station on Saturday afternoon. A police team from the station visited Ezhil Nagar, where Saraswathi resides, and asked her and her husband to appear at the station for an inquiry. At the station the couple's statements were videographed. “In future, the couple cannot refute their statements and turn hostile during trial,” said a police officer.

During the inquiry, Nithyananda Saraswathi told the officials that she felt dizzy. Immediately, her son took her to a private hospital and later, the police officials told her that they would visit her residence to record her complete statement. The police had by then conducted an inquiry with the couple for at least 30 minutes. When TOI met Saraswathi in front of the station, she said she did know whether Lavanya was harassed by stepmother. “I can say that the situation at her residence was bitter. The school management also came to know that no one supported the girl. So, she was asked to do all the work at the hostel. But the cause of the suicide is not known,” said Saraswathi.

When TOI sought the view of Lavanya’s father S Muruganantham on her grandmother’s claims, he said the matter was sub judice. “We have already spoken about the case elaborately and there is nothing more to say. Since the case is before the court, my advocate told me not to speak anything about it with anybody,” he said.

Meanwhile, BJP state president K Annamalai has accused the state government of not extending support to the national commission for protection of child rights (NCPCR) and its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo to inquire into the suicide of Lavanya. NCPCR, in its letter dated January 28 had said that the Tamil Nadu government was reluctant to extend the necessary facilities/support to its team for the inquiry on the pretext of imposition of model code of conduct which came into force due to urban local body elections. Annamalai tweeted condemning the “CMO refusal” to cooperate with NCPCR.

(With inputs from Vincent Arockiaraj in Trichy)