Shourya Patil Suicide Case: CCTV Shows Teacher ‘Humiliating’ Student; Police Question 5 Friends
Police widen the investigation after CCTV shows a teacher humiliating the student days before his death.
Three days after 16-year-old Shourya Patil, a Class 10 student at St. Columba’s School in central Delhi, died by suicide after jumping from the platform at Rajendra Place Metro Station on November 19, 2025, Delhi Police have broadened their investigation by recording statements from five of his close classmates as witnesses. The inquiry stems from a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by Patil's father at the Karawal Nagar police station, accusing three teachers and the headmistress of abetment to suicide and common intention under sections 107 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The school swiftly suspended the four staff members on November 20 amid growing outrage over claims of prolonged mental harassment, including a suicide note left by Patil explicitly blaming the educators for pushing him to the brink. The note, recovered from his bag, read in part: "Sorry mummy, aapka itni bar dil toda, ab last bar todunga. School ki teachers ab hai hi aise, kya bolu," underscoring the emotional toll of the alleged abuse.
The classmates' consistent accounts to investigators paint a picture of systematic targeting, intimidation, and public humiliation endured by Patil and his group over several months, not just the preceding week as initially reported. According to the FIR and family statements, Patil confided in his friends about repeated threats of expulsion, physical shoving by one teacher during class, and derisive comments from another accusing him of "overacting" and "creating drama"—triggered by his refusal to participate in a dance rehearsal due to a sprained ankle sustained earlier that day.
The boy's parents revealed he had been pleading for a school transfer since the start of Class 10, fearing loss of 20 internal marks if he left abruptly, which kept him trapped in what they described as a "hostile environment." Despite multiple complaints to school authorities, no counseling or protective measures were implemented, exacerbating the distress.
Police have secured CCTV footage spanning November 11 to 18 from inside and around the school premises, with at least one video reportedly capturing a teacher humiliating Patil in front of peers, directly corroborating the witnesses' testimonies and fueling suspicions of a deeper institutional failure. Investigators intend to summon the four suspended staff members, including the headmistress, for intensive questioning over the November 22-23 weekend, while directing the school to preserve all relevant recordings.
The probe also includes forensic analysis of the suicide note and review of communication records, as early findings suggest a pattern of disproportionate scolding and unchecked bullying that violated child safety protocols. This incident marks the latest in a series of high-profile student suicides in Delhi schools, highlighting gaps in mental health support amid academic pressures.
The tragedy has ignited widespread protests by parents and students outside the Ashok Place campus, calling for stricter accountability and reforms in school governance. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance, serving notices to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and District Magistrate of Central Delhi for a detailed action report within 10 days, flagging breaches of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and the Right to Education Act, 2009.
Attempts to reach the school principal and representatives from the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, which oversees St. Columba’s, have gone unanswered. As the investigation progresses, child psychologists emphasize the role of empathetic school cultures in averting such preventable losses; resources like the Sumaitri helpline (011-23389090) in Delhi and Sneha Foundation (044-24640050) in Chennai offer confidential support for those grappling with suicidal thoughts. Patil's family, originally from Sangli in Maharashtra, conducted his last rites there on November 20, vowing to pursue justice for their "brave son."
