Losing hope: Student takes own life after failing exam

Body handed over to family after postmortem.

ISLAMABAD:

A boy committed suicide in the garrison city after failing his secondary school certificate examination on Thursday, according to the police.

Nauman Farid, 16, a resident of Dhoke Chiragh Din, shot himself the same day the Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education announced the result. When he checked his result on their website, he found he had failed in one subject which led to the suicide. He shot himself with a 12 bore rifle, said Investigation Officer Sakhawat Hussain. “It seems he was dejected and could not face his parents,” he added.

The police said only the mother was at home at the time of the incident. She awoke upon hearing the sound of gunfire and found her son lying in a pool of blood.

According to the police, he used his father’s gun. The family informed the police who took away the body. The police have recorded the uncle’s statement and after an initial investigation, the death was declared a suicide. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem.

Nauman’s uncle, Ghulam Naveed told The Express Tribune that his nephew was studying in St Mary’s and was weak in studies. “Nauman failed in three subjects in class nine and was under pressure to perform better, but his father was never strict with him.” He was very good in extracurricular activities but not in studies and that led him to commit suicide, he added.

The father, Chaudhry Nazir, was retired and the family belonged to Jhelum, but was settled in Rawalpindi. Nauman was the youngest of four brothers and close to his parents. His two elders brothers are mentally disabled, while the third is settled in the UK.

His friend Muhammad Rizwan said he had met him for sehri, but hadn’t said anything about his result. He often worried about his education and wanted to complete his matric in one go, he added.

Dr Rizwan Taj, head of psychiatry department at Pims, said students take their life when they are disturbed or scared and they cannot face their parents and society. “Students should not be pressurised to get the best grades and receive a lot of encouragement to deter them from taking this extreme step, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2013.