16-year-old girl commits suicide in Pune's Songaon village after incessant sexual harassment, says police

Pune: A teenage girl died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Baramati in Pune’s district, days after she allegedly attempted suicide over sexual harassment, the police said. [caption id=“attachment_1560471” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AFP[/caption] The 16-year-old girl had allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at her residence in Songaon village, over 100 kms from Pune, on 11 August, a Baramati police official said. He said the deceased was a student of class 11 in a junior college in her village. She had complained to her family members about the frequent sexual harassment she had been facing at the hands of a youth from the village, according to the official. “The youth used to harass her when she used to walk down to her college in the village. The brother of the girl had reprimanded the youth and warned him against repeating his act. However, the youth continued to harass the girl,” the official said. Police are trying to ascertain the exact age of the youth. The official claimed the family members of the girl didn’t approach the police in the past. Citing a complaint filed by the kin of the deceased, the official said that prima facie the girl took the extreme step, as she was unable to cope with the sexual harassment. The girl had not left behind any suicide note. “She allegedly drank a chemical meant for tick control in cattle on 11 August. She was taken to hospital. She died on Wednesday during treatment,” he said. Police have registered a case against the youth under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). No arrest is made yet, he said.