LAHORE: A student at the Forman Christian College University on Thursday allegedly jumped off the third floor of one of the campus buildings in broad daylight what was said to be a suicide attempt.
The undergraduate student was identified as Ijazul Haq Adeem. According to eyewitnesses, the student jumped off the third floor of one of the academic blocks of the university. The varsity staff immediately gave him first aid and rushed him to the hospital where he is said to be in a critical condition, they added.
The incident sparked debate on mental health on social media, prompting the university administration to issue a statement and urging the students to seek help from the Campus Counseling Centre of the university if they feel any mental distress.
“We are deeply saddened by the recent incident that took place in S Block. We are ensuring that the student in question receives the medical attention he needs right now and stand with his family at this time. We are investigating the incident and hope to have more answers soon. Please note that the Campus Counseling Centre is holding a group session on Friday, March 1 at 1:00 pm in the Counseling Centre. If you wish to talk or share about what happened or need help processing this incident or any other problems you may be facing, please do visit the Counseling Centre for the session or to schedule an appointment with the Campus Counselors,” the statement read.
University’s Head of Communications and Publications Michelle Jacob told this scribe that the university was not aware of the circumstances which led to the incident and the matter was currently being investigated. “It is too early to comment on the matter as the initial probe had not yet been completed,” she added.
POST-PRESS:
On Saturday, the university’s rector and student affairs office issued a statement detailing the incident and its aftermath.
“Yesterday, there was a tragic event on campus where a student fell into the S Block Octa from the 3rd-floor balcony in S Block. This incident has undoubtedly deeply affected us as a community. Our hearts go out to the student and his family in this most difficult of times. We ask for your prayers and support. While most of you have looked at an earlier notice about this incident, we are aware that you have questions about the incident. We have been careful about giving out information as we wish to be as accurate as possible in our communications with you. This is what we know: one of our students fell from a 3rd-floor balcony in our S Block. He sustained serious injuries and was offered immediate medical aid by the on-campus health services before he was shifted to a hospital. FCCU’s representatives were present with him during this time and stayed with the student throughout the night. His family was also able to reach him late last night,” the statement read.
“He has also made a statement to the police in which he said that he fell by accident. The student is stable and conscious and we ask that you keep in your prayers as he looks ahead at a long road to recovery. Since the incident is currently being investigated and that we are getting conflicting reports about what happened, we also ask that we, as part of the FCCU community, refrain from speculation about the incident and respect the privacy of the student and his family in our online posts and comments,” the statement added.
Videos of the incident had been circulating on social media throughout the day but due to the sensitivity of the issue, they could not be published here.