16-yr-old boy, who could not attend online classes, found dead in Assam

A 16-year-old student, who was upset because he did not have a smartphone to attend online classes, was found dead near his house in Assam’s Chirang district on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the student of Class 10, who came from a very poor family, was troubled as he could not take part in online classes and examinations conducted by his school.

Educational institutions in Assam are closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. But online classes and exams are being held by both private and government schools over smartphones.

“The boy’s family was very poor. His mother had gone to Bangalore in search of work and his father didn’t have any job. The boy needed a phone to take part in online classes but his father was not able to get him one,” Sudhakar Singh, Chirang’s superintendent of police, said.

“From what we have been able to gather after talking to neighbours and others close to the student, it appears he was fed up with the situation and decided to take his own life,” he added.

Though some reports said a suicide note was found, the police have denied it.

The post-mortem report is awaited.

A Class 10 student in Kerala’s Malappuram district had set herself on fire earlier this month as she was unable to attend online classes as she did not have either a television or a smartphone.

(Please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist if you need support or know someone who does. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918)