What a tragic end to such a young life!
The 14-year-old schoolgirl who had been holding on for dear life at the Seberang Jaya Hospital after attempting suicide tragically passed away on February 1 at 3.30am. She was comatose for the past week and was on life support as she was declared brain-dead.
Source: The Star
Malaysian Tamilar Kural president David Marshel confirmed her death according to The Star and said that a post-mortem will be carried out before her family members claim her remains.
Vasanthapiriya Muniandy, who was a student from SMK Methodist in Nibong Tebal had hung herself using a shawl at her house after being accused of stealing her teacher’s handphone on Wednesday (Jan 24). She was harassed by her teachers and even threatened with a police report when she denied that she had taken the iPhone 6.
Source: The Malaysian Insight
The teen, who was the youngest of four siblings, was brought home by her class teacher and her husband at around 6.15pm on that fateful day. Apparently, they had accused her of stealing as CCTV footage showed a girl taking the phone although they could not positively identify her.
Vasanthapiriya’s father said,
“They said that the theft was captured on CCTV but they could not confirm whether the girl in the footage was my daughter. And my daughter denied that she stole the phone when I asked her.”
The couple was discussing the matter with the deceased parents when they discovered that she had hung herself on some piping when she did not answer her father’s calls.
Source: Malaysian Tamilar Kural
Feeling ashamed, she could not handle the mental stress and wrote a suicide note apologising to her parents. Vasanthapiriya also denied again that she had stolen the phone in her letter and said that she did not want to cause any more trouble to her parents.
“Nobody is responsible for my death. I want to thank my lovely parents for taking care of me. I am so sorry. Teacher, I never took your phone. I promise,” the distressed girl wrote in her note.
Source: Malaysian Tamilar Kural
Now, as the young girl’s family are left inconsolable while planning a funeral set for 1pm today (2nd February), parent groups have come out to voice their outrage with the way Vasanthapiriya’s teacher handled the situation. Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim told the Malay Mail Online,
“In these circumstances, the teacher had taken the law into her own hands and this is dangerous not only for the students but teachers as well.”
Source: MMO
A. Lalitha, Vasanthapiriya’s grief-stricken aunt, told the New Straits Times that she did not get the chance to comfort her niece that day, saying,
“Vasanthapiriya was ashamed and angry. She could not control her feelings. Maybe that is why she decided to end her life.”
“The teacher should not have acted in such a way. Accusing a child, even hitting her. It is a smartphone. The teacher should have used the device’s GPS (global positioning system) to track and locate the phone.”
“Now, she has already found her phone, but what about the child? Phones can be bought anytime, but a human life? Once a person dies, she can never be brought back to life.”
News of the 14-year-old’s suicide attempt immediately caught the attention of Malaysians all over the country, who were hoping and praying for her recovery. Now, people are demanding that justice is served. Meanwhile, her family has since filed a police report regarding the incident and the Penang Education Department is currently investigating the situation.
Rest in peace, Vasanthapiriya. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Also read: Lonely 12-Year-Old Girl Sadly Commits Suicide Because She Barely Passed Exams
