17-year-old Hindu student of Jharkhand commits suicide after slapped, expelled for wearing bindi

Case ID : c8b7eef | Location : Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 9 July, 2023

Case ID : c8b7eef

Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India

9 July, 2023

17-year-old Hindu student of Jharkhand commits suicide after slapped, expelled for wearing bindi

Restriction/ban on Hindu practices

Restriction on expression of Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Dhanbad, Jharkhand, a tragic incident unfolded on July 10, 2023, when a 17-year-old Grade 10 student took her life after facing humiliation and expulsion from St. Xavier’s School for wearing a bindi. The student was publicly chastised during the school assembly and slapped twice, despite promptly removing the bindi upon noticing the teacher. She was then expelled from the school by the principal. The girl's suicide note, found in her school uniform, held the teacher and principal accountable for her death. An FIR was lodged, leading to the arrest of the accused teacher, and an investigation was initiated. In response, villagers and the victim's family protested outside the school and blocked a road, demanding justice. The victim's mother emphasised the need for arrests based on the suicide note. The teacher defended the action, claiming the student's response was impolite. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took notice of the incident, assuring that cognisance of the matter is being taken.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been placed under the sub-category- 'Restriction on expression of Hindu identity' under the prime category- 'Restriction/ban on Hindu practices' of the hate tracker. Restriction on expression of Hindu identity: An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. Here, the Hindu girl was forced to take her life after facing expulsion from the Christian Missionary school she studied in for sporting a Bindi. The student was publicly chastised during the school assembly and slapped twice. She was then expelled by the principal of the school. Not being able to withstand the humiliation, she committed suicide. Notably, a bindi is a traditional symbol in Hinduism, representing various cultural and religious meanings, including marital status, spirituality, and identity. Expelling a student for wearing a bindi infringes on their right to express their religious and cultural identity. It is a direct violation of the victim's religious freedom and is considered a religiously motivated act of discrimination, that stems from the animosity towards the victim's faith, which in this case is Hinduism. Such actions stem from an inherent Hindumisia and for this reason, this case qualifies for inclusion in the hate tracker database.