Bhopal: The class X and XII results of Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) came as a death knell for several students in the state on Wednesday.
Within 48 hours after the results of both class X and XII were declared by Madhya Pradesh chief secretary S R Mohanty in Bhopal on Wednesday, 12 students, including a merit holder girl, committed suicide in the state apparently over their less-than-expected performance in the examinations.
Three suicides were reported from Satna district, two each from Bhopal, Sehore, Bhind and Chhattarpur. A girl student committed suicide in Ujjain district also. Adding to the parents' and tecahers' worries, several suicide attempts by students were also reported from Betul, Gwalior and Damoh districts.
According to police, upset over her performance in the exams, Sandhya Dohar, a class XII student and resident of Amirt Nagar Colony in Satna city committed suicide. She was Satna district topper in class X exams two years ago. In class XII, her scores were not up to her expectations, police said.
“According to information available so far, Sandhya was depressed because she didn’t get the marks she had expected,” said Satna superintendent of police Riyaz Iqbal.
According to cops, Sandhya locked herself in her room around 9pm on Wednesday and hanged herself. On the same day in Satna district, Ruchi Verma, a class XII student and resident of Barti village and Prathibha Singh, a class X student of Rampur Baghelan locality, hanged themselves.
According to Bhopal police, Karna Kanade, a student of class XII, jumped from the fifth floor of a residential building at Koh-e-Fiza. Police said Karna had failed in the exam last year also and he could not make it this year too.
Bhavna Raikwar, a resident of Bhoipura locality in Bhopal, also ended her life by hanging after she failed in class X exam.
In neighbouring Sehore district, Neha Chauhan, a resident of Amlaha village and a class X student, hanged herself in her home after failing in the board exam. In another case in Tikamor village of Sehore, Kiran Barde of class X consumed poison and was hospitalized. She died a few hours later, police said.
A police officer said a girl tried to commit suicide at Chandora village in Multai block of Betul district by consuming poison at her home. The class XII girl was rescued by family members and admitted to Betul Civil District Hospital. The girl had failed in two subjects.
Two more suicide attempts were reported from Gwalior and Damoh districts on Wednesday and Thursday.
Within hours after the announcement of the results, the board's helpline was flooded with calls from students seeking counselling and advice from experts. Nearly 3,000 calls were received by the helpline on May 15 itself. Exam stress had taken many lives in the Madhya Pradesh earlier also. In 2017, 10 students had committed suicides in Satna district after board results came out.
This year's class X exam was topped by Ayushman Tamrakar, son of a watch man. A student of School of Excellence in Sagar, Ayushman secured 99.8% marks. His father Vimal Tamrakar, 51, works as a watchman at a marriage hall. His mother Barkha Tamrakar also works as a daily wager in Sarafa market.
The board had decided not to felicitate meritorious students at the time of results declaration as the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls is still in force.
This year, class X students registered an overall pass percentage of 61.32 per cent. While 63.69 per cent girls cleared the exam, the pass percentage for boys was 59.15. The overall pass percentage for class XII was 72.37. The board said 76.31 per cent girls cleared the exam while boys posted 68.94 pass percentage.
