"Girls Only Safe In Mother's Womb, Grave": Chennai Student's Suicide Note

Three days after a schoolgirl died allegedly by suicide in Chennai, leaving a note that said "a girl is safe only in the mother's womb or the grave", a 21-year-old college student has been arrested for sexual assault.

On Saturday, the Class 11 student's mother found her hanging in their home on the outskirts of Chennai. The mother had been out for only an hour. She returned from the market to find the teen's room bolted.

The young man confessed that he and the girl were close and he had harassed her, the police claimed. He has been charged under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

"The boy has confessed to a physical relationship with the minor girl. In the last two weeks, he had been harassing and torturing her. We have located filthy messages and the exchange of photographs. They had a good friendly relationship for eight months before all this," a police officer investigating the case told NDTV.

Three years ago, when the girl was in Class 8, the boy was in Class 11 in the same school. She moved to a girls' school later but the two, police say, became friends over Instagram.

In the note found in the room, the girl suggested that school was not safe and teachers could not be trusted. She wrote that she could not even study or sleep because of "mental torture even in her dreams".

"Every parent should teach their kids and sons (to treat) girls with respect," she wrote.

The police are investigating whether the girl was harassed by more people, based on her suicide note.

The note, which also said, "Stop Sexual Harassment" and ended with "Justice for Me", mentioned three possible harassers - "relative, teacher, everyone".

In the past few weeks, there have been four more suicides due to alleged sexual harassment, in two cases allegedly by teachers.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recently put out a video message saying the loss of lives "disturbs me" and urging people "not to take extreme measures but courageously report such perpetrators and ensure they are brought to justice".