Sindh

Family’s jubilation turns to mourning

Private university’s final-year student allegedly commits suicide

Yusra Salim April 13, 2016

Abdul Basit. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Family members of 27-year-old Abdul Basit Jamal Siddiqui waited to celebrate the end of his BDS exams on Monday. But the joy turned to grief instead as they mourned his death on Tuesday.

Abdul Basit, a final-year student of BDS at the Hamdard University’s (HU) main campus, committed suicide by immolating himself.

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The apparent reason behind this extreme action: the university’s management did not allow him to appear in his final paper. He reached the university late because of which the university administration disallowed him from appearing in the exam.

The exam for the paper was held between 11am to 1pm at the university’s main campus on Monday, but Abdul Basit arrived at the campus half an hour after the paper ended. He came in at around 1:30pm when the examination had already finished and external examiners left the university, read a text message sent in by the university management.

His teacher, Dr Abrar, barred him from appearing in the exam and told him to consult the principal. Principal of Hamdard University’s main campus Dr Furqan also told him that he would not be allowed to sit in the exam, but he could go to the university’s city campus in Nazimabad if he sought further information in this regard.

Abdul Basit went to Nazimabad campus at 2.30 pm and requested the vice-principal to allow him to appear in the exam as it was his final year, narrated her mother Fatima Shahid. When Vice-Principal Nadeem Khokhar refused, Abdul Basit attempted suicide at the dental hospital.

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“He was enrolled in 2007 in the BDS programme and failed every year in some courses and repeated every year during the four years of BDS,” Dr Furqan, the principal, told The Express Tribune. He added that none of the universities in the city allowed students to appear in an exam if he arrived late.

Explaining her son’s delay, Abdul Basit’s mother said that he got delayed after his vehicle broke down.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (14)

meera | 8 years ago | Reply My opinion is that we all have a lame excuses but we the students n management are responsible for this act if there is problem we find the solution b/c life has no worth i think that is our selfishnss

NRaf | 8 years ago | Reply Why is it the university's responsibility to accommodate him as some people have suggested? I feel bad for the family, but 1/2 an hour late?

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Ali Sibtain | 8 years ago | Reply This is painful!

Adv Waqas | 8 years ago | Reply What happened was really tragic but as they say, "violence is the last refuge of incompetent." We cannot just put blame on the University Administration for not allowing him to take his exam because his track record shows that he had failed time and again. It is apt to say that there were doubts as to the claims made by him that his bike broke down. He was about three and half hours late, which clearly is highly doubtful. A prudent man would have taken a cab or at least communicated to the University Administration about all this scenario.

Rumormonger | 8 years ago | Reply Being judgmental, I would say that arriving late for an exam, failing papers every year, does not seem he was a serious student. The real reason of his death is not known. His parents deny suicide. What else could it be? I hope all the private universities come up with some plan to handle any similar situation that may arise later.

Rehan Ali | 8 years ago | Reply It is indeed unfortunate. He wasn't late but absent from the paper. and how come a family who pushed their son over the hill be sympathized with? His track record clearly proves that he wasn't able to keep up with the studies. Whether it be because of attitude or aptitude that is not known but both have a common source upbringing. The university has rules and regulations. If they are not followed or implemented they become as futile as our traffic rules. We curse the LEAs for their ineffectiveness but desire our universities to do the same as apparently in our shortsightedness it doesn't impact us.

sad | 8 years ago | Reply University is bad mouthing him in order to pass the buck, hiding the fact that they most likely ridiculed/insulted him for reaching exam room late. Parents are shedding tears, while hiding the fact that they had (guessing) burdened/scolded/threatened him a lot in past few years. We are making comments, hiding the fact that we did not witness anything. The victim, is dead and took everything with him away. The circus of our desi education system goes on.

Hasan | 8 years ago | Reply What is needed are trained student counsellors, whose job it is to guide students in every possible way; looking after their educational and spiritual well being.

Arslan | 8 years ago | Reply This student is the fatality of our flawed educational system. I was a BDS student myself. I can relate to his situation. Our punishment system in educational institutions is beyond comprehension. In a Western society, this vice Chancellor would've been resigning instead of tainting this guy's years of hard work. His commitment and perseverance from past 8 years speaks a lot about his steadfastness. I hope our government, choked by lassitude and pettiness, do something about these rarely addressed issues of our society.

Point | 8 years ago | Reply Universities does arrange thing after a week or so. What if someone had leaked him paper and he simply was insisting on the same paper to be taken. Stop making judgement, the guy does seem to be on wrong path since 2007. Every person who worries for his studies and care arrives strictly on time and make sure he is there for exam. Only those come late who doesn't care.

tuk | 8 years ago | Reply His parents are responsible too.Should have taken him to psychiatrist. Universities should have counselling too. Why send him to another campus far away when he is obviously distraught?

Ehsan | 8 years ago | Reply Very sad, University should have arrange some thing. :(

M. Faizan Farooq K. | 8 years ago | Reply Very tragic. The university administration should have allowed him to give the exam. However students should know that exams come and go but life only comes once. Tragic

Furkan Awan | 8 years ago | Reply i feel sad and sorry for his family , i can understand as you can see Abdul Basit was already depressed and stressed as he was enrolled in 2007 and now its 2016 , almost 8 years of continuous trying , he could not able to afford this one loss , no one can understand his problem better then the student of a private university.

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