In what has become a significant development in the suicidal death of 17-year-old girl Lavanya in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, the probe has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based on the directive of the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court. The court has passed the order of the transfer of probe on Monday- January 31 while hearing the plea that was moved by the father of the girl, who died on January 19.

The death of the girl has been on the headlines after the BJP and its affiliates have alleged that the girl has committed suicide after she was forced to convert her religion to Christianity by her school staff two years ago. However, neither the FIR nor the police version of the probe carries such an allegation of religious conversion and while the police were probing the case, the girl's father has filed a petition to the Madras High Court Madurai bench saying that they have lost their faith in the police investigations and demanded an inquiry by the CB-CID or a similar investigative agency. 

In previous hearings, the Madras High Court Madurai bench had asked the person, Muthuvel - a leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, to surrender his phone to the police for investigation. While the girl was getting treated at the hospital, Muthuvel, two days ahead of her death - on January 17, recorded the video of the girl's speaking about what had happened to her. It has been reported that Murugavel had shot four videos of the girl of which, she hasn't spoken about religious conversion in three videos. 

This event has sparked the debate on whether BJP has made her say that she had committed suicide due to religious conversion and what has shocked the state was that the videos were released not on the same day but after the death of the girl. The court had ordered Muthuvel to surrender his phone and directed the girl's parents to appear before the Thanjavur Judicial Magistrate and recorded their statements again. 

During the hearing, the public prosecutor has informed the court that Muthuvel was not cooperating with the investigation and said that the police are looking into several angles and over 50 people have been examined. He further said that the allegations of conversion were not made by the parents at the time the FIR was filed. The prosecution has said that the videos were not made public till the girl's death and that it was an attempt to make her death politics. 

However, after the hearing on Monday, the Madurai bench has ordered the transfer of probe to CBI based on the petition from the girl's father. The girl, who was a native of Ariyalur, was studying Class 12 at Sacred Hearts Higher Secondary School in Michaelpatti, Thanjavur and she was staying at the boarding house of the school and she has alleged that she was forced to do the works ordered by the hostel warden, that has affected her studies following which she had taken an extreme step of committing suicide. 

On the other hand, the school had filed a petition in the court and argued that the school has been facing a media trial and there was a political narrative behind the entire issue. The school's counsel, Advocate Xavier Arulraj, has sent a confidential affidavit to the judge and asked why the allegation of forced conversion was not brought to light two years ago when it is alleged to have happened.