Kallakurichi school girl laid to rest as thousands bid tearful adieu

Cuddalore, July 23: Thousands of people from the agrarian Periyanesallur village in the district on Saturday joined the family in bidding a tearful adieu to the Class 12 student whose body was found on her school hostel premises in Kallakurichi on July 13.

Those from neighbouring villages too paid their homage, as an inconsolable father demanded justice for his daughter's death. He was accompanied by the 17-year old's younger brother and other family members and villagers during the funeral procession which began at about 10.30 AM. The body of the girl student was brought in an ambulance from the Kallakurichi government hospital where it was kept for the last 10 days, after the grieving mother signed the papers accepting the mortal remains for performing the last rites.

The girl's parents agreed to receive the body after the Madras High Court on Friday questioned the delay in accepting it and asked them to do so on Saturday morning for the final rites. The ambulance carrying the girl's body and the police escort vehicle collided with a container lorry on the way, about 10 km from Veppur on the Tiruchirappalli bypass road but no casualties were reported.

Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu | Mother of the deceased class 12th girl signed the official documents at Kallakurichi Government Hospital as her body was handed over to the family for last rites pic.twitter.com/KQamnKx9dW

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2022

State Labour Minister C V Ganesan, who represented the State government and the district Collector were also among those who paid homage to the girl's body kept in the village before it was taken in a procession for the last rites. The body of the girl was draped in new clothes and a biology book was placed by her side before she was laid to rest.

The class 12 student of a matriculation school in Kanimayoor in Kallakurichi district was found dead under suspicious circumstances on the school hostel premises on July 13 leading to protests.

Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu | The body of the deceased class 12th girl is being taken to her native village in Cuddalore district for last rites after it was handed over to her family pic.twitter.com/8s9JVwW9eu

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2022

Her parents suspected foul play and refused to accept the body and even sought the court's intervention for a re-postmortem in the presence of a doctor of their choice. But the plea was declined by the Supreme Court. The tragic incident led to violence on July 17 and the school was vandalised, documents and certificates burnt and property was damaged. The Madras High Court on Friday directed a team of doctors of Puducherry-based Jipmer to analyse the autopsy report of the girl and submit its report within a month.