Today, Saturday, March 9, the father of a 16-year-old student who purportedly died by suicide in Kota the day before by leaving a note stating he wouldn't pass the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), said that he suspected foul play in his son's death and wanted an unbiased investigation.
"Papa Mere se JEE Nahi Ho Payega, Sorry, I quit. (Papa I will not be able to crack JEE. Sorry, I quit)" were the final words of Abhishek Mandal, who passed away on Thursday night, March 7, in his paid guest accommodations in Kota after reportedly ingesting poison.
Father speaks
The teenager’s father, Pradeep Mandal, told PTI on today, March 9, outside the mortuary where his son's body was stored that he received the body the day Abhishek was scheduled to depart for his home in Bhagalpur, Bihar via train.
Circle Officer DSP Dharmveer Singh states that although Abhishek passed away late on Thursday night, March 7, his body was discovered on Friday morning, March 8.
Following a postmortem, Kota City Police gave Abhishek's remains to his family today, March 9, around midday, according to SHO Satish Chand Choudhary of the Vigyan Nagar Police Station.
According to the SHO, a case has been filed under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (inquiry and report on suicide) to look into the situation.
The father of the victim lost consciousness shortly after witnessing his son's body at the mortuary, but he eventually came to his senses.
Pradeep told reporters that he couldn't believe his son died by suicide. He claimed that Abhishek had been in Kota for more than a year and was a brilliant student. The teenager's father believed his son's death was strange because his phone was formatted and did not have a SIM card.
He sought an unbiased investigation into the case.
Pradeep recounted the incident, saying he last spoke with his son on Thursday, March 7, when Abhishek claimed he'd return home on Saturday, March 9. He also informed his brother that he would return home on Saturday and that the tickets had been bought, said Pradeep, panchayat head of Murli in Bhagalpur.
The father remembered his deceased son as a "jolly" boy and said there was never any family tension with him.
"Whenever we asked him how he was, he said he was good," Pradeep said. He added that Abhishek was the fourth child among his five children.
On the claim of the deceased's father about his son's formatted phone, the SHO said the device was yet to be examined.
How did he die?
It is suspected Abhishek died after consuming Celphos, a poisonous substance. A vial of the drug was recovered from his room by the police team, Circle Officer Singh had said on Friday.
According to the records from the coaching institute Mandal had been studying for a year, he was supposed to take the JEE Session-1 exam on January 29 but he did not appear for it, the DSP had said.
This is the fifth case of suicide by a coaching student in Kota since January. The number of student suicides in Kota stood at 26 in 2023.
If you are depressed or having suicidal thoughts, remember you are not alone. Reach out to a loved one or contact the following helplines Tele MANAS: 14416 and Sangath: 011-41198666
