A 12-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at home in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district after accusing a woman teacher of harassing her, police said on Thursday.

The teacher was arrested on Wednesday based on a suicide note found in the victim’s room, City Superintendent of Police (Ambikapur) Smruthik Rajnala said.

The Class 6 student of a private school was found hanging from the ceiling in her house in Darripara area late Tuesday night, he said.

In the suicide note, the girl accused the teacher of harassing her.

“A forensic team collected evidence from the spot and the post-mortem was conducted. Statements of the girl’s parents, students and teachers of the school were recorded. The suicide note was examined by a handwriting expert,” he said.

Based on the investigation, the teacher was booked under Indian Penal Code section 305 (abetment), the official said.

In the suicide note written in English and dated February 6,the girl claimed her ID cards and those of her two friends were snatched by the teacher.

“My friends told me that she is dangerous and she (will) take you to headmistress and also call your parents. I was scared and decided to kill myself,” she wrote.

The girl also requested that her friends must be saved from getting punished.

The deceased’s father, a government officer, told reporters that he was on a two-day visit to Raipur and his daughter spoke to him over a video call at 6.30 pm (on Tuesday) but did not tell him anything.

He also claimed that when his daughter was in the nursery class, another teacher thrashed her.

“My daughter stopped telling me about the harassment as whenever parents visit school to speak to teachers, the next day teachers take revenge and torture students,” he said.