Disheartened over exam results, students attempt suicide in Chirtal

Three students living in different areas of Chitral attempted to end their lives on Tuesday, reportedly after they received their intermediate exam results and felt disheartened over their performance, a local news outlet reported.

The exam scores were released by colleges at 4 pm on Monday but due to poor internet facilities in the region and excessive load on the website, many students were only able to see their results late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.

One girl hailing from Chitral’s Reech area, who was described by her family members to have been a very bright and studious girl, jumped into the Chitral river after receiving what she perceived to be a “low score” in her intermediate examination.

Her parents in their statement to the police said that they noticed her unusually quiet and withdrawn behaviour before she went missing.

Police conducted an investigation into her disappearance which led to the discovery that she had flung herself into the river. Her body was later recovered by rescue officials.

Similarly, another girl from the Garam Chashma area also threw herself into the river after obtaining her intermediate exam result.

She used to live with her maternal grandfather, which made it easy for her to attend school. She too was reported to have been sad after receiving her scores.

Her body is yet to be recovered by the police who say that rescue operations are still underway.

In another shocking incident in Chitral’s Lot Koh valley, a boy attempted to kill himself with a gun after receiving word from a friend that he had failed in one subject in his intermediate exams while his brother managed to clear them all.

Feeling depressed at the news, the boy placed a gun under his chin and shot himself. He miraculously survived the incident and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

According to Jamshed Ahmed, the police official in charge at the Shoghor police station, the boy is currently in a very critical condition with his face badly damaged and is being shifted to Peshawar.

Though it is believed by family members in all three cases that the students were saddened by their results and this was in all likelihood the reason for them to take such drastic measures, police officials say they will investigate the incidents from all possible angles.