"Cry As Much As You Want": Delhi Teacher's Distressing Comment to Teen Who Later Died by Suicide

A class 10 student of St Columba's School in central Delhi died by suicide on Tuesday shortly after leaving the campus alone. The incident has left his family devastated and sparked fresh concerns about student safety and teacher conduct.

Claims of Public Humiliation and Escalating Stress

Sixteen-year-old Shourya Patil reportedly fell during a stage rehearsal earlier that day. Instead of support, he was allegedly scolded and insulted in front of others. A teacher is said to have told him, "cry as much as you want, I don't care." His father, Pradeep Patil, said this incident became the breaking point after months of mistreatment.

Shourya then left the school through a back gate, went to a nearby metro station and jumped from a high platform. His schoolbag was found with what appeared to be a handwritten suicide note.

According to the father's statement quoted by NDTV, the principal phoned him after the incident and offered help. He replied that he only wanted his son back.

Family Says Complaints Were Ignored

The family stated that Shourya had been raising concerns for nearly a year. Whenever they approached the school, the issues were reportedly dismissed as "lack of focus" or blamed on his performance in Math.

"Shourya was a kid and kids at his age may have the tendency to get distracted but that does not justify the teachers' behaviour towards him. When we reached out to them later again, they threatened to issue a Transfer Certificate for him," his father said, as reported by NDTV. He added that in the past four days, his son had been threatened with expulsion and was even pushed by a teacher on one occasion.

Students who knew him said he had been going through a difficult phase in the last five months. On the day of his death, he was allegedly removed from the dance performance after being accused of intentionally falling and "overacting," an allegation his father also detailed.

Contents of the Suicide Note

The suicide note found in his bag named three teachers and described repeated harassment. Shourya apologised to his family several times. For his mother he wrote: "Sorry mummy, aapka itni bar dil toda, ab last bar todunga. School ki teachers ab hai hi aise, kya bolu." He wrote to his brother: "Sorry bhaiya, I was rude to you, argued with you, disrespected you." To his father he said, "Sorry papa, I should have been a good person like you."

He expressed regret that he could not make his parents proud and wrote that the pressure he faced had become unbearable. His message included: "School ki teachers abh hai hi esse kya bolu... Meri last wish hai inke uper action le, me hi chata koi aur bacha meri tarah kuch kare." He also wrote, "I am sorry but St Columba's teachers have done this to me."

The note included instructions to call a specific phone number if the letter was found and a final wish that his organs be donated if medically viable. "If any of my body works or is in condition to work kindly donate it to someone who really needs it," he wrote.

Police Probe Continues

The First Information Report states that the suicide note blamed three teachers for the distress he faced. The school had not issued an official response at the time this account was written. The Patil family has taken Shourya's body to their hometown Sangli in Maharashtra for the funeral.