Amidst the celebrations and planning for the future that marked the arrival of the results of class XII exams on Thursday, a few students, dejected over their scores, took their lives.
One of them, 17-year-old Karthik, a resident of Murugesa Mudali Street in Choolai, took the step after he came to know that he had scored 620 marks. He talked to a few of his friends and told them about how he was disappointed over his results. “After this, he drank oil that is used to kill termites,” said a policeman attached to Vepery police station. He was rushed to Government General Hospital, where he died.
In Kodungaiyur, a 17-year-old girl hanged herself in her house owing to a similar reason. According to police, Daisy, the daughter of Mathew, did not pass in history. She scored a total of 637 marks and was unable to face her family and friends. After coming to know of the results, she went to her room and hanged herself.
In Royapuram, a 17-year-old girl attempted to end her life by hanging, again due to dejection over her scores. According to police, she had scored over 950 marks. Her neighbours and family members spotted her trying to hang herself and rescued her. She is recuperating in a private hospital.
In Villivakkam, an 18-year-old boy is suspected to have ended his life by jumping in front of a train. However, police are still investigating whether it was a suicide or if he was run over while crossing the tracks.
Elango, a resident of Nochikuppam in Mylapore, was the son of a fisherman.
His mother was a fish vendor. At 10 a.m. on Thursday, his mother left for selling fish and he left home after a while. “Sometime later, his aunt’s son got a call stating that Elango was found dead on the railway tracks,” said a police official. She said that Elango is believed to have failed in two subjects.
Many others sought help and counselling centres had their hands full. On Thursday alone, the helpline numbers of SNEHA — an organisation working towards prevention of suicides — received 50 calls between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Most of them were anxious, worried about the results, concerned about their admission to colleges or disappointed with their marks. Since suicide is an impulsive act it can be prevented if the sadness is shared,” said P.V. Shankara Narayanan, media co-ordinator.
