Hacking charge teen commits suicide

Parents blame school suspension for tragic death

By John Leyden • Get more from this author

Posted in Security, 14th May 2001 12:47 GMT

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The parents of a 13 year-old boy who committed suicide are blaming his suspension from school following allegations of hacking for his death.

Shinjan Majumder hung himself in his family home on 4 May, hours after been suspended from Grover Middle School in New Jersey, USA for ten days after allegedly hacking into the school district's computer systems.

New Jersey Online reports that the youngster had no previous history of depression and was keen on sports, such as Tae Kwon Do and swimming, as well as computers at school. His mother, Rita Majumder, reportedly blames school authorities for Shinjan's untimely death, which has left a whole community grief-stricken.

This seems harsh but there is a question mark over whether disciplinary procedures by the school were handled as sensitively as they could have been.

Jayanta Majumder, the boy's father, alleges school principal Mayer told Shinjan during a disciplinary meeting that he could go to prison for his offences. School authorities deny this and said they were talking about the penalties that an adult might receive for similar offences.

Shinjan reportedly left a note saying he would rather die than go to jail. His father said that he did not seem distraught when he left him at home after his suspension interview and in the circumstances its difficult to know what was going through the boy's mind at the time of his death.

District superintendent John Fitzsimons said teachers followed correct procedures in the case and, while teachers mourn Shinjan's death, they aren't responsible for it. He added the answers why Shinjan took his life might never be fully explained. ®