In Video Before Suicide, Tamil Nadu Schoolgirl Alleged Abuse By Warden

A 17-year-old school girl in Tamil Nadu died on Wednesday, days after she drank poison alleging abuse by her hostel warden and an attempt to convert her family to Christianity. In an unverified video that has surfaced after her death, the girl says she may have been harassed and abused because her family refused to convert to Christianity.

NDTV cannot independently verify the video.

The teen took poison at her home in Thanjavur on January 9 and died 10 days later. The hostel warden has been arrested under the Juvenile Act apart from charges of abetting suicide.

In the video, the girl alleged that she was forced to clean the hostel and also do administration and maintenance work.

"Two years ago, they asked me and my parents to convert to Christianity. They said they will take care of my education," the girl says in the video. On a specific question on whether she was targeted for not converting, she says, "Maybe".

The girl's parents have demanded an investigation into conversion allegations.

Police officials say neither the girl nor her family had filed any complaint about the alleged conversion.

"We had video recorded her complaint, her statement to the Judicial Magistrate, and her dying declaration. She did not say anything about conversion. Nor did her parents allege this. We are now investigating this allegation also," Ravali Priya Gandhapuneni, a senior police officer in Thanjavur, told NDTV.

Authorities are looking for the person who filmed the video to verify its authenticity and the motive behind its release. "The minor girl's identity has been revealed. This is a violation," the officer said.

The girl's allegations have taken a political turn with the BJP asking for an investigation and urging the state's DMK government to punish those responsible.

State BJP president K Annamalai, sharing the video of the minor girl on Twitter, called for a fair investigation and the arrest of those responsible. Describing conversion as a rapidly spreading poisonous plant, Mr Annamalai urged the state government to "control" it.