Caught ‘cheating’ in exam, 20-yr-old student hangs self

A police complaint has been registered against the college principal and the squad members at Mahidharpura police station. Mahidharpura police sent the body for post-mortem. The police also recovered a suicide note, written by the deceased to his parents.

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The handwritten note said, “Mummy I love you, Daddy I love you, ben I love you, Dad I love you”. It goes on to add: “I did not copy, mummy the squad intentionally caught me and threatened to ban me from taking exams for three years. I cried and pleaded a lot, but they did not listen to me. What face would I have shown to you? The world would have teased me… really maa I did not copy. I love all of you a lot… I did not talk to any of you while leaving .. mummy I love you.” Habil inquired about the incident with other classmates and found that the flying squad of the university had caught him copying from notes scribbled on the hardboard he was writing on. His classmate Ajaz Chunawala said, “The exams for Marketing Management was on Monday. The squad officials seized his wooden writing board. Burhanuddin refused that he was copying, but the squad took him to the principal’s office and made out a cheating case against him.”

The squad team comprising of three members, filed copying form and got it signed from the college principal Narendra Jadav, for getting it further processed at university level for future actions. The victim’s father Habil Badshah lodged complaint with Mahidhapura police station on Tuesday, against the college principal and Flying squad team, for their alleged involvement in harassing his son to such a level that has driven him to take such a drastic step of ending his life.

The victim’s father Habil Badshah said, “If the college authorities had caught my son copying, they should have called us or informed us first. We would have come to the college and see what our son had done. The college authorities failed to inform us and they have harassed him to such a level that he could not bear and took the extreme step of ending his life. If we would have come to know about the incident earlier, we would have treated our son tactfully and also taken extra care. He was a sensitive boy and was good in studies.”

College Principal Narendra Jadav said, “We have taken actions according to the rule as he was caught copying in the examination hall. We have also seized the writing wooden board which he had carried with him. His answersheet and writing board is at present with the flying squad team and they will submit it as evidence with the examination department for further process.”

Dr Daxesh Thacker, the vice-chancellor of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, said, “I am in a deep shock today, following the suicide incident. We have seen the CCTV footage of the school. I feel the victim was more sensitive. He was good in studies. It is a normal practice of filling forms when a student is found copying, but it is a long process to find him guilty. The entire incident is a matter of investigations and from the university’s side, we will carry out free and fair investigations.”