A 19-year-old college student from Jaigaon of Alipurduar district died by suicide on Sunday night after a video of her and her younger sister at a shopping complex being intercepted by the staff for allegedly stealing chocolates surfaced on social media.
The girl’s father filed a complaint with police and sought exemplary punishment for all those who shot the video and released it.
Sources said the girl had gone to a shopping complex of Jaigaon with her sister, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, on Friday evening. Both the girls made some purchases but allegedly took some chocolates without paying for them.. The staff intercepted them and asked for money. They apologised and paid the money.
“Some people, who we suspect are employees of the shopping complex, shot videos of the incident. Both my daughters requested the staff to ensure the video did not get leaked,” said the girl’s father.
After they narrated the incident to their parents, the girl’s mother visited the shopping complex on Sunday morning and requested the staff not post any video of the incident on social media, the father added.
“On Sunday afternoon, a video was released on social media in which both my daughters were visible. This left my elder daughter extremely upset. At night, she hanged herself in her room. We had no idea that she would take such a drastic step. Those who posted the video are responsible for her death,” the father added.
Residents of the neighbourhood demonstrated in front of the shopping complex on Sunday night. On Monday morning, residents reached Jaigaon police station, demanding immediate arrest of all those who shot and released the video. The girl’s father also filed a police complaint.
Police began a probe and asked the shopping complex authorities to keep the property shut till further orders.
“It is an unfortunate incident. Our officers are gathering information about the case. Anybody found guilty will not be spared,” said Y. Raghubhamshi, the SP of Alipurduar.
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