New Delhi: On Thursday, four educators from St Columba's School, who were mentioned in a First Information Report (FIR) related to the suicide of Class X student Shourya Patil (16), were suspended. "The matter is currently under investigation... Given the gravity of the allegations, the competent authority has opted to suspend you with immediate effect," the order stated, further instructing the teachers to "remain available for official communication, refrain from visiting the school, and avoid interactions with students, staff, or parents without prior written consent." Shourya's family returned to Sangli, Maharashtra, for his final rites, where his grandparents reside. He was cremated in his ancestral village, Dhawaleshwar, located in Vita tehsil. In a phone conversation with TOI, Shourya's father, Pradip Patil, remarked: "For the last six months, he consistently expressed that he was being singled out and targeted even during ordinary conversations, and that teachers were subjecting him to humiliation. We were frequently summoned to the school over trivial matters, particularly in the last four months. In the days leading up to the school holidays, Shourya implored his father to withdraw him from school. His father had assured him that a transfer would occur after the break. However, the bullying was so unyielding that the teenager could no longer endure it, as claimed by his family. "His vacation was merely 8-10 days away. Following that, he only needed to attend for his pre-board examinations. We had promised him that once this period was over, we would enroll him in a different school for the subsequent two years. Since 20 internal marks are tied to the current school, we did not want to jeopardize his performance on the board exams. We believed it was wiser to avoid conflict with the teachers and simply wait it out," he elaborated. Patil characterized his son as charming and joyful, someone who had a passion for dancing and had recently represented the school in a competition just a month prior. "We had planned a family trip to China following his board exams. It was his desire, and everything was already arranged," he stated. The suicide note discovered in Shourya's bag expressed his apologies and requested that his body parts be donated to those in need. It also listed the names of the teachers who allegedly subjected him to humiliation. "My final wish is for action to be taken against them; I do not want any other child to experience what I did (sic)," it read. A heartbroken Patil remarked, "Especially after reading his note — and while I am trying to remain strong — we will not cease our pursuit of justice." On Thursday, numerous parents, former students, and family friends convened in a state of anger and sorrow. Copies of Shourya's handwritten suicide note were affixed outside the school gates and boundary walls, attracting groups of parents who paused to read his final words. Chandrashil Dhawan (35), a relative of the Patils present at the protest, stated, "Several children have now informed us that they experienced harassment from the same teachers. They were even considering documenting everything and reporting it to the police." He claimed that Shourya had been threatened by teachers on the morning of the incident for not performing a dance due to a sprained ankle. He exited through the back gate and never arrived at his designated pick-up point for his driver to locate him. "The next we heard," Dhawan recounted, "was that he had jumped from the metro station." Parents at the protest expressed that the school's counselors exist "only on paper" and that students do not feel secure approaching them. Former students asserted that the school must abolish what they referred to as a "pick-and-point culture" that repeatedly targets students. Aditya Sagar (18), an alumnus, remarked, "The school has counselors, but students seldom approach them regarding teacher-related concerns. They are all part of the same ecosystem, so it does not feel like a safe environment to voice complaints." A team of police officers visited the school to engage with the students. They also obtained CCTV footage pertinent to the incident. "We have gathered the information regarding the teachers mentioned in the FIR, and summons will be dispatched to them to participate in the investigation," stated an officer.