Tokyo: A Japanese university on Monday
apologised to the family of an Indian student who committed
suicide in 2007, after leaving a note saying he would kill
himself because of bullying at school.
The male student, then aged 20, at Otemon Gakuin
University in Osaka prefecture, jumped from a building three
years ago, leaving a note saying, "The bullying I keep getting
at school...Cannot take it any more."
The student, who was born to Indian parents and grew
up in Japan, had earned Japanese citizenship, a university
official said.
Compounding the tragedy, his father, depressed about
his son`s suicide, later jumped to his death from the same
building, according to local reports.
"I would like to express my heartfelt apology to the
bereaved family members," said university dean Masayuki Ochiai
at a press conference.
The university refused to comment on whether the abuse
was racially motivated saying the specific nature of the
bullying was not known.
Local media said he had been forced to take his
trousers down in front of other people and that he had been
nicknamed "bin Laden".
An independent third party panel was created in
October to probe the incident after the Sankei newspaper and
public broadcaster NHK reported the case.
Japan, a country where more than 30,000 people commit
suicide every year, often sees school children kill
themselves, with many leaving notes referring to harsh
bullying by their peers.
PTI
