First Balasore self-immolation, now Greater Noida suicide: Why do we need such tragedies to wake us up to the problem of harassment of students
Jyoti Sharma, a second-year student from Sharda University in Greater Noida, pursuing BDS, died by suicide in her hostel room. She passed away on July 18, Friday, reportedly after writing a suicide note. The note accuses two professors and the university administration of mental harassment. The two staff members, Mahinder and Shairy, have been arrested so far.
In the suicide letter, she wrote that she had been mentally harassed and humiliated for a long time, which caused her significant distress. She expressed her desire for the accused to face legal action. She held the teachers of PCP and Dental Materials responsible for her death.
The note reads, “They mentally harassed me. They humiliated me. I have been under stress because of them for a long time. I want them to face the same thing. I am sorry. I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t…”
Shortly after the incident came to light, students gathered and protested against the university administration, alleging negligence. They claimed Jyoti had been under immense stress due to accusations of forging signatures. A minor scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police, while the family of the deceased was seen manhandling the head of the dentistry department.
The incident occurred on Friday night, and a case has been filed at the Knowledge Park Police Station in Gautam Buddha Nagar. “The woman’s body has been sent for post-mortem, and two staff members of the university have been arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s family,” said Additional DCP of Greater Noida, Sudhir Kumar.
He added that tension had escalated due to the anger among the deceased’s family and university students towards the administration. The anger and scuffle were defused by the police through dialogue, and peace was restored at the scene. Further legal proceedings are underway.
Dr. Ajit Kumar, the university’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed that two faculty members have been suspended. “For now, two teachers have been suspended. A committee has also been formed to investigate the matter. Action will be taken against those found guilty based on the committee’s report,” he stated.
This is not an isolated case of a student taking her life due to harassment. A similar incident took place in Odisha’s Balasore shocking self-immolation case on July 12. A 20-year-old girl set herself on fire, allegedly after enduring sexual harassment by the head of her college department. She suffered 90 percent burns and later succumbed to her injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14.
These brutal incidents show no discrimination based on gender or age. This was evident in the tragic case of a teenager from The Global Public School in Kerala who ended his life after reportedly being bullied, assaulted, and harassed by his schoolmates.
According to the teenager’s mother, on January 15, he was forcibly taken to the toilet and made to lick the seat; his head was then pushed into the toilet while it was flushed. He was also bullied for his skin tone. The relentless harassment severely affected his mental health, ultimately driving him to end his life by jumping from the 26th floor of their apartment building.
On April 30, 2023, a 16-year-old boy died by suicide after allegedly being mentally abused by his principal and faculty members. He purportedly left a suicide note in which he apologized to his parents and elder brothers and urged serious action against those who had harassed him. The boy allegedly died by suicide in Telangana, with his family accusing the college management and certain members of the teaching staff of harassment and holding them responsible for his death, police reported. The student, in his first year of intermediate studies at a private college in Narsingi, Telangana, was found hanging in a classroom by his friends on Tuesday night, April 30.
All these incidents reflect one painful similarity: before taking their own lives, the victims tried to express what they were going through and, in the end, wrote in their suicide notes. Instead of receiving empathy and support from those around them when they spoke up about harassment in educational institutions, their voices were often ignored. Their stories must be heard, and their grievances must be addressed before blaming the victim. Continued ignorance will only lead to more such tragedies unless educational institutions actively work towards providing safe, empathetic, and responsive environments for students.
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