Published Feb 18, 2026 | 1:55 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 18, 2026 | 1:55 PM
The girl said she took poison since she could not withstand the harassment.
Synopsis: The CBI said in its status report that there was no evidence to establish that the girl was under pressure to convert to Christianity, but was harassed by the hostel warden, Sister Sagaya Mary.
The CBI has submitted a status report to the Supreme Court in connection with the death by suicide of a 17-year-old Plus-2 student of a Christian missionary-run school at Michaelpatti in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district.
While dismissing allegations that an attempt to convert her to Christianity had forced the girl to die by suicide, the report said the girl was harassed by the hostel warden, which led her to take the extreme step.
The girl’s death on 19 January 2022 grabbed nationwide attention after a few Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP functionaries alleged that she had been under pressure to convert to Christianity. The girl’s father, too, had levelled the same charge.
The CBI report stated that the girl did not mention about the conversion bid in the videos she had recorded.
The status report said the dropout rate increased after Sister Sagaya Mary had taken charge as the hostel warden at the Michaelpatti school. The investigation also revealed that assistant wardens frequently resigned from their posts.
The probe found that the girl and other hostel students were assigned accounting duties at the hostel. During the COVID-19 lockdown, even when the hostel was officially closed, the girl stayed back alone from 24 March 2020 to 19 June 2020.
After the hostel had reopened on 20 January 2021, the girl was reportedly given additional responsibilities due to the absence of assistant wardens. During the second lockdown period between 1 April and 14 July 2021, she again stayed in the hostel for about 20 days.
The CBI report stated that during Deepavali in 2021, some hostel items went missing. Following an inquiry, the warden reportedly found that the girl had distributed them to other students without authorisation. She was reportedly reprimanded by Sister Sagaya Mary, which allegedly humiliated her and caused mental distress.
Similarly, during the 2021 Christmas holidays, the girl stayed back in the hostel instead of going home. She was then allegedly assigned multiple accounting-related tasks.
The report stated that she was frequently pressured to complete hostel accounts quickly and was reprimanded for mistakes, leading to mental stress.
On 9 January 2022, after completing hostel accounts and submitting them to the warden, the girl reportedly joined other students for evening prayers. She started vomiting and was given first aid. That night, she went to sleep without food.
The next day, the hostel warden informed her parents and asked them to take the girl home. Even after returning home, the girl continued to vomit. On 15 January, she was taken to a private hospital after vomiting blood. She was referred to the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, where the doctors suspected poisoning as her tongue had turned yellow.
While undergoing treatment, the girl informed doctors that she had consumed a pesticide on 9 January. In her statements and recorded video, she reportedly mentioned that she consumed the pesticide due to mental stress caused by the continuous workload and pressure from the hostel warden.
The CBI report stated that her father, Muruganandam, informed relatives that she had consumed poison due to pressure from the warden. However, no mention was then made of religious conversion.
The agency conducted an extensive investigation into allegations of religious conversion at the school. It examined certificates of students who had studied at the institution since 2010 and found no evidence that any student had converted upon leaving the school.
The CBI concluded that neither the girl nor any other student was subjected to religious conversion or any attempt at such conversion.
The report also noted that the girl had repeatedly complained about being overburdened with hostel-related work, including during holidays, and that she was not allowed to go home at times.
In her statement to a magistrate, she reportedly stated that the continuous workload affected her studies and caused severe mental distress. She further stated that Sister Sagaya Mary should be held responsible for her condition.
The investigation also found that after her death, the girl’s father and aunt allegedly refused to receive her body and participated in protests under pressure from certain individuals, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad functionary Muthuvel and some local BJP leaders.
It was further noted that videos recorded by Muthuvel alleging religious conversion were circulated on social media without concealing her identity. Police registered a case against Muthuveel under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The CBI concluded that the girl’s death was a result of mental stress allegedly caused by excessive workload and pressure from the hostel warden. It stated that despite being aware of the burden placed on the student, the warden did not reduce her responsibilities, which ultimately led to severe mental trauma.
Based on its findings, the CBI stated that Sister Sagaya Mary’s actions prima facie amounted to abetment of suicide under Section 305 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and recommended legal action against the accused.
