In India, Hindu teen’s death amid ‘forced’ Christian conversion sparks uproar
- Lavanya Muruganantham, in Tamil Nadu, was 17 when she died; a social media video of her suggests she was being pressured to become Christian
- She is said to have complained to police last month that her Christian school gave her too many chores; over 50 people are being questioned
The teenager, Lavanya Muruganantham, died days after complaining to police in January that her school had given her excessive administrative tasks and chores.
Following her apparent suicide a video of her has emerged on social media, in which Lavanya suggests she was under pressure to convert to Christianity.
Police have arrested a 62-year-old warden in charge of the hostel where Lavanya boarded and are grilling more than 50 people connected to her.
On Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – in opposition in Tamil Nadu – said it was not happy with the investigation and announced it would set up an exclusive committee to probe the coerced conversion angle.
On Monday, the Madras High Court ordered the probe to be transferred from the Tamil Nadu police to the nation’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), upholding a plea from Lavanya’s parents.