VISAKHAPATNAM: Three boys died by suicide in as many incidents within 24 hours of the announcement of the SSC examination result. They were reportedly upset over their failure in clearing the exams, which recorded a 67 pass percentage, the lowest in the past seven years.
A 16-year-old boy from Appalanarasaiah Colony in Vepagunta under Pendurthi police limits in Visakhapatnam jumped into the Meghadri Gadda reservoir after he had failed in three subjects. Inspector K Ashok Kumar said the boy had left his home around 1 pm.
“Locals found a mobile phone, a mask, and footwear on the banks of the reservoir and informed us,” the officer said, adding that they traced the teenager’s family with the help of the mobile phone.
The inspector noted that the boy took the extreme step though his parents had not admonished him for failing the exams. His father is a carpenter and his mother is a homemaker. Search operations were launched on Monday, and the body was retrieved on Tuesday.
In the Annamayya district, a student ended his life by throwing himself before a moving train near Kutagulapalle village in Mulakalacheruvu mandal. The 15-year-old son of a farmer couple had reportedly failed in two subjects: Mathematics and Social Studies. Though his parents and relatives had consoled him, he took the extreme step.
The boy was with his parents in their fields till the evening. He later left the village and walked alone towards the railway tracks, and jumped before the train. He was instantly killed. A passerby informed the railway police, who rushed to the spot and alerted the local police. The body was shifted to a hospital for autopsy.
In the third incident, a 15-year-old boy from Kadiripulakunta village in Nallacheruvu mandal of Satya Sai district jumped before a moving train near Vepurikota in Chittoor district after he had reportedly failed in one subject. The public exam was conducted after two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Students can appear for the supplementary exam scheduled to begin on July 6.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).