School chairperson held for driving teen 'lover' to end life

The chairman of a school in Ulhasnagar was arrested yesterday for abetting the suicide of an 18-year-old college student with whom he allegedly had a physical relationship.

Accused: Manoj Tiwari

Two associates of the school chairman were also arrested in the case. The police said the accused had also made a video clip showing the young woman having sex to blackmail her.

The three accused, Manoj Tiwari alias Jajju, Kamlesh Jaiswar and Umesh Pal, are residents of Ulhasnagar. Tiwari (38) runs a school named PMT and is the Ulhasnagar-1 NCP block president.

Fed up with the alleged sexual abuse, the 18-year-old victim committed suicide by jumping in front of a running train near Shahad railway station on September 13.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) of Kalyan registered the case and made the arrests after an inquiry.

"The court has remanded the three in police custody till October 10," Inspector (Kalyan GRP) Sampat Nirmal said. "Suspecting the accused may be involved in running a sex racket, the court ordered a detailed investigation."

Tiwari had lured the first-year commerce student into having a physical relationship with him by promising her roles in Hindi films, said the police.

The victim's father, who runs a dairy in Shahad, said he was devastated after having gone through a lot of struggle to provide his daughter with a good education.

"I wanted her to have a good and famous name in society, but this man (Tiwari) and his friends have spoiled everything," he said, adding, "He has taken away our reason to live."

The accused had also clicked pictures of the victim in skimpy clothes after asking her to "practise dressing like a heroine" and later used these
snaps to blackmail her, said the police.

After six months of her relationship with Tiwari, the teenager realised he was nowhere near keeping his promise of making her a film heroine. The police said when the young woman confronted Tiwari over his assurances, he pacified her by promising to marry her. Soon the teen learnt Tiwari was already married and a father of two.

The police said Tiwari also blackmailed the teenager by threatening to upload her obscene videos on the internet.

On September 12, the 18-year-old revealed everything to her mother, telling her she did not want to live anymore. On September 13, the teen appeared for a college exam and ended her life before a local train while returning home.

The GRP in Kalyan at first registered an accidental death report (ADR) under Section 174 of the CrPC.

On Thursday this week, the inquiry conducted by the police revealed it was a case of suicide and the police added Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (acts done by several persons in common intention) of the IPC in the FIR.u00a0