15-yr-old misses unit test, commits suicide

In yet another case of a student ending her life fearing failure in exams, 15-year-old Meghna Thakur, a class IX student of Guru Nanak Mission High School in Andheri East, took the extreme step by hanging herself from the ceiling on January 29.u00a0

According to the police, citing better schooling options in the suburbs her parents, who live at Vajreshwari in Virar, had kept Meghna with their relatives at Chandradaya Society located on Mahakali Road, Andheri (E). u00a0

On January 24, Meghna had to appear for two test papers, Hindi and Punjabi.u00a0

Pramod Naik, Meghna's uncle with whom she resided, said, "On January 23, she was not feeling well. She was experiencing severe pain in her ears. So we took her to a doctor the next day. Accordingly we informed her school about her condition, and told the authorities that she will be late for her unit test."u00a0However, she was not allowed to appear for the Hindi exam. She only appeared for the Punjabi test paper.u00a0

Depressed over the fact that she will fail her unit test, five days after the exam, Meghna committed suicide on Jan 29.u00a0"We all, including Meghna had gone for a birthday party. I could never imagine what she had planned to do next. I don't remember exactly, but after a while her younger brother had gone home to drink water. When he reached home, he realised that the bedroom door was locked from inside.u00a0

He then informed me about it and I rushed home. When I peeped into the bedroom through the window, I was shocked to see Meghna's body hanging from the ceiling."u00a0Meghna was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. Naik said, "She was a brilliant student and would always top in her exams. She had never failed in any of her exams."

In a suicide note, which the police recovered from the bedroom, Meghna had stated that she was upset over the fact that she wasn't allowed to appear for the Hindi paper and sought apologies from her relatives whom she hadn't informed about the happenings at the school, and for ending her life.

Senior police inspector Suresh Hujband, MIDC police station said, "The girl was saddened by the fact that she wasn't allowed to appear for the exam. Besides, she was feeling guilty of not disclosing it to her relatives. We are investigating the case." u00a0

When contacted, school authorities refused to comment. While P Pawar, education inspector, Western zone said that an inquiry will be initiated in the coming week.u00a0