Teenage girl hangs herself in school; principal held after suicide note claims molestation
Jashpur (PTI): A 15-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in the study room of a private school after accusing the principal of molesting and sexually harassing her in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district, officials said on Monday.
The principal was arrested after the class 9 student allegedly used a saree to hang herself from a rod of the ceiling on Sunday evening.
The school is located in a village under the Bagicha police station limits, Jashpur Senior Superintendent of Police Shashimohan Singh said, adding that the deceased was a resident of the Sitapur area in neighbouring Surguja district.
Police found a suicide note at the spot, which accused the school principal, Kuldipan Topno, of molestation and sexual harassment, following which he was arrested, the police officer said.
A case was registered, and further investigation is underway, he added.o
A joint team comprising officials of the education, tribal, and police departments conducted an inquiry following the incident.
Preliminary findings revealed that the hostel on the school campus was unauthorised, officials said.
"Of the 124 students enrolled from classes 6 to 12 in the school, a total of 22 boys and 11 girls were staying in the hostel, which was allegedly being operated without mandatory permissions. All relevant documents have been seized," said Assistant Commissioner of the Tribal Department, Sanjay Singh.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. The exact cause behind the incident will be ascertained only after the investigation, said Bagicha Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pradeep Rathiya.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
