'Child died due to asphyxia' TNN, Nov 21, 2010, 04.01am IST PANAJI: The postmortem report on the body of the 10-year-old child, who committed suicide by hanging in front of the altar at her home in Porvorim on Friday morning, has revealed that the girl died due to asphyxiaas a result of hanging.
Sanika Upale's body was sent to Goa medical college and hospital for postmortem on Friday. Police sources said that the postmortem report has ruled out any injury on the body of the minor, thus ruling out any force or violence that led to the minor taking the drastic step. On Saturday afternoon, the body of the minor was handed over to her parents, who police said have decided to take their daughter's body to their hometown in Chiplun, Maharashtra, for the final rites. Police suspect that the minor took the drastic step as she feared that she wouldn't fare well in the exams. She had also written a suicide note in Marathi which was addressed to her mother in which she said that if she fails in the exam, then her mother will go away and never return. * * * Porvorim school girl commits suicide, functioni postponed Herald Correspondent Porvorim Nov 20 The felicitation function of Vidhyaprabhodhini High School principal and senior educationist Subhash Bhasker Velingker was postponed on Saturday, following the demise of a 10-year-old student of the school. Sanika Sudhaker Upale, a Std V student and the only child of her parents, had committed suicide over fears that she would fail in her mid-term exams in October. Teachers and parents were stunned by the news that the 10-year-old girl had committed suicide. Many who had gathered in the school in Porvorim were seen discussing how a young girl could have nurtured and executed the decision to end her life. Some felt that the girl may have been influenced by the television and urged the education department to ponder on such incidents, where students resort to drastic measures after being unable to face reality. It may be recalled that Sanika Sudhaker Upale who was studying in Standard V of the Vidhya Prabodini High School at Porvorim had just answered her half-yearly exams. Sanika's parents, natives of Chiplun, Maharashtra and presently residing at Alto Porvorim, had left for work at about 9.30 am and Sanika was alone at home, as she was on Diwali vacation. The mother, who works at a shop very close to their house, returned home at 1.45 pm and found the door locked from the inside. When her daughter did not respond to her call, the mother peeped through the side window and was horrified to see the body of her daughter hanging from an iron rod fixed in the hall. She immediately alerted her husband and the police. Police rushed to the spot and broke open the front door. They found that Sanika had committed suicide by hanging herself with a dupatta. Police found a note written by Sanika in her notebook stating she was committed suicide because her mother would leave the house if she failed in the exdam, which she had answered recently. The body was later sent for an autopsy, where it was established that Sanika had died due to asphyxia as a result of suffocation. Police sub inspector Sagun Sawant is investigating the case. Herald. ENDS