Final year student Iqbal is understood to have died yesterday night after he was witnessed jumping from a terrace of the boys hostel, as his mother was waiting outside.
Students who knew Iqbal said that he was a friendly and creative person, who enjoyed writing and music. One faculty member described him as “super bright”.
But according to several campus sources, Iqbal had failed several repeat exams, which would have required him to repeat his final year of college. He was also known to have suffered from psychological problems. Several sources close to the college added that the university was very strict about enforcing exam pass grades, particularly with respect to repeat exam takers.
NUJS registrar Dr Surajit C Mukhopadhyay said that everyone was shocked about the incident, and added that the university did not have any warning of his mental state. He defended the examination process, and said: “The university is there to examine students and to make them pass and make them fail. It is a fair process.”
Mukhopadhyay added that the college had appointed a counsellor for students on campus a week-and-a-half ago.
However, several students and other sources close to the college contacted by Legally India said that they were not aware of any counselling services being available to them, apart from counselling for civil service exam aspirants. The availability of counselling was also not mentioned at today’s memorial service, according to a source.
NUJS vice chancellor Dr Ishwara Bhat was not reachable for comment.
Earlier this month, RMLNLU Lucknow student Satnam Singh Mann was killed in judicial custody, allegedly by police, having suffered from psychological illness.
In 2006 NLSIU Bangalore student Meghana Reddy reportedly hanged herself, and the judicial report on NLSIU by Justice KT Thomas also mentioned another suicide at the college.
In 2009, Nalsar Hyderabad student Venkat Ram Reddy was reported to have committed suicide.
In 2010 a student from Pune’s Deccan Education Society Law College reportedly committed suicide after allegedly having been ragged by a group of other students.
Last week Legally India covered ragging in law schools, which has decreased in recent years at the major law schools though a ragging culture still persists.
One academic said that the best thing for law schools to have would be a renowned counsellor whom students can approach, adding that invariably counsellorship will also have to be performed by faculty, staff and senior students. “It has to be an overall ecosystem issue that everyone has to come together,” argued the academic.
Comments
If Wasim's friends are right that he was a super bright kid, then the VC should resign if he presides over a system where a super bright student meets such a fate.
He was diagnosed with a psychological condition. Don't you think that had a major role to play too? From what I have heard he had been depression for quite sometime and was diagnosed with bipolar. Stop attacking easy targets. The college administration should not be blamed for failing him, which in my opinion is subjective and even coming second in a class might be considered failure by some.
He was diagnosed with a psychological condition. Don't you think that had a major role to play too? From what I have heard he had been depression for quite sometime and was diagnosed with bipolar. Stop attacking easy targets. The college administration should not be blamed for failing him, which in my opinion is subjective and even coming second in a class might be considered failure by some.[/quote]
Actually, I'm one of those who believe that a university is where you learn. It's not a gamble of pass and fail. And this isn't a postmortem on him, the least we can do is spare him that disgrace. This is simply recognising the fact that our education system needs revamping suicide or no suicide.
He was diagnosed with a psychological condition. Don't you think that had a major role to play too? From what I have heard he had been depression for quite sometime and was diagnosed with bipolar. Stop attacking easy targets. The college administration should not be blamed for failing him, which in my opinion is subjective and even coming second in a class might be considered failure by some.[/quote]
The VC wasnt "available" last nyt. What was he doing with his phone that he couldnt be reached. He could have had his good nights' sleep but he chose to apply for the post of the VC for NUJS. Meaning, he had to make himself available for ANY and EVERY emergency situation that occurs within the campus or concerns any student. And his behaviour at the condolence meeting was inhuman. He conveniently cancelled classes AFTER 12 and NOT for the entire day. For God's sake, a student just committed suicide and all this inhuman administration thinks about is sending emails regarding "NO SCALING UP OF MARKS IN THE REPEAT EXAMS". Shameful!
All classes were cancelled after the first hour, i.e. 9:30 and not 12.
His reaction in the concolence meeting wasn't inhuman. That's just the way he is. Just because he cannot articualte his grief doesn't mean he's inhuman. Cut the guy some slack. Even he was taken aback by the news like the rest of us. You and I did not have to guts to go up and speak, the least we can do is not call his reaction "inhuman".
We will miss you wasim
Show some respect to the memory of those who are no longer with us, Mr. Registrar. It is wise to remember the thing about this screwed up system of ours: in rat races, at the end of the day, you are still, just a rat. Grieve for the soul who is no longer with us; it was a drastic measure, yes. But let us all learn something from it. Are you listening, Mr Registrar?
all that's happened now is that students have put on a show of temporal solidarity, and have dedicated their facebook status messages to wasim... not one of them will rise and do something against the oppressive establishment that was responsible for the very sad demise of someone who was supposedly one of their best friends...
The most pathetic statement ever heard. "To make them fail". University Faculty members seem to have forgotten what their responsibilities are - to impart knowledge, to guide, to teach - not to make students fail. [...]
If the NUJS students have some heart, they should boycott this registrar.
Registrar sir, university's exam process may be fair. But a human life is far more precious than pass and fail. [...]
Think as a parent. Feel as a teacher.
The University has come out with this rule to make the process stringent. In the first two years of GNLU's existence, there was no definite examination rules for students who could not pass their papers at the end of the five year course. Later, the Examination Committee had started randomly experimenting with different rules every year.
On the other hand, reality in law school is different. Students who had finished their schooling in Hindi medium could just not cope with the law school environment because of their poor English skills. Most of the students who got through reservations are not proficient in English and this greatly affects their academic life in law school. There is no one to guide/encourage such students at all. Peer pressure, family pressure and the complete lack of positive guidance will ruin any student's life.
I am not sure how far a psychologist will be helpful to remedy the situation in Indian law schools.
I believe that the students of the University should have a say in the drafting of the Examination Rules of the University. There should be a vote on key issues like detention. One of the students who got detained under the recent Detention scheme at GNLU had not been able to pass just one paper. He is now forced to repeat his third year again just because he was not able to pass that one paper. Imagine the social stigma, peer pressure and family trauma.
The only way to remedy the situation is to protest and create awareness in the Indian legal academia against such inhumane, conservative and cruel Examination Rules.
May Wasim Iqbal rest in peace.
2. Alternatively, get Wasim's parents to sue the VC and Registrar.Something will come out of this.
3. Get a GOOD, TRAINED and COMPETENT Counsellor. Pay him well, let him stay on campus and USE him.
4. Bring some good sports facilities for free in the college. The students are paying a hefty fees every year (with several forms of 'development fees' included). Use that to get every student a membership in SAI as soon as they enroll. This should include basketball, football, athletics and tennis/badminton. The students have 4-5 hours of classes a day and are idle the rest of the time. That itself is a recipe for disaster. Give them options.
5. Encourage activities like Yoga and Meditation. Get teachers for the same to come to NUJS (which is in the city itself) and conduct regular classes. Again, keep them FREE and OPEN TO ALL. Even the faculty, some of which REALLY need to ease up and stop being so nasty with the students.
Start with this. And then see how things change. Let the students protest, hold dharna's or candlelight vigils. They should all be united. Those who are cowards/chamchas of the VC--ostracise them. But make sure the majority are united.Today this has happened with Wasim. Tomorrow it could happen with you or your friend.
TAKE ACTION. NOW.
The steadied aging of an inept administrative body preceded by the departure of Dr. Singh, a man who displayed varying shades of equanimity when addressing varied concerns, is indicative of gigantic humiliation that the administration must face when questioned in a court of reason and rationality.
To call off a condolence ? I don't think that is allowed even in the lowest of moral structures or in the worst of prisons.
As I first read the Registrar's comments on the issue, I thought to myself 'Incomprehensible'. Yet, on hindsight, it will be foolish and utopian to expect a more reasoned explanation or to imagine an administration that demonstrates sympathy, compassion or appreciation of the situation.
'To make them pass and to make them fail'. How foolish. Even if one does not grant the necessary virtues of a considerate mind, one could very well attribute a bare minimum standard of logic to the Registrar of an institution. Yet, that standard is evidently too high to meet.
Such high-handedness and a monstrous arrogance that is propelled by illogical rules of appointments, coupled with a incessantly petulant Vice-Chancellor, it is as bad as it can get. Those who are in a position to appreciate the situation for what it is, I hope this provides a reason to effectuate some change.
Someone died. And that, is just ...just really sad.
The need to vent, is understandable. But I have a request. Find a better outlet then an online rant? And better outlet doesn't mean a violent, foaming at the mouth, slogan-laden diatribe against authorities, or statussing on FB, as rightly pointed out above.
This is not about what you feel and what you think should be done. This is about what CAN you get done? If you can get something done, then do it. Please. If you can't get squat done, then, seriously, stop being a finger-pointing griefmonger and stopping at that.
Peace
A sincere request to Kian and his team to be more discrete in publishing such comments.
May Wasim rest in peace.
"The university is there to examine students and to make them pass and make them fail."
That actually describes fairly accurately what the university's role is. It is not the university's only role, but in respect of conducting exams, yes - the university passes and fails students.
You may want to argue about whether leniency provisions should exist, but reading this as an outsider, it seems like a fairly sensible statement to make in response to a question about the examination process.
Totally agree
This is an excerpt from the news article available at http://in.news.yahoo.com/law-student-jumps-off-building-225742982.html?code=AQA5hegHYkx-jEa-VPHsb8xbqduqmzetJlZ6KX30jKuIL74dHYCA9b1ijzFRwuub_a5lhE__GOuG0xl0cilvSqLoSP8nAVJWgozy-oEC64YFpROwNdO7x9CsJK2n1-_xhmDeEtxOr0TaAePYWtUwu18vlQgL8CgBO7BR9Rg98R57d2WCTkkOxqXnzti_LFkryag#_=_
What the hell is wrong with the Registrar? Has he totally lost it and does he not realise that someone has died and that he should be extra cautious before issuing statements like these.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/law-student-jumps-off-building-225742982.html
University is not at all at fault. What is required of the students is to study and try to get good grades. If the student who cleared the national level entrance exam cant clear a simple college paper then it is not the college that is to be blamed.
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
[PEOPLE PLEASE THINK OF YOUR PARENTS FIRST]
I am sorry guys, but this has no relevance to the story. It suggests (and no point disagreeing) that ragging may be a reason behind some of the suicides. However, none of the suicide stories that you are aware of were by first year students/ on account of ragging. You don't need to increase "hits" on LI articles in this fashion because you have enough visitors anyway. I would expect LI to remove the captioned line as that would be the right thing to do.
Thanks.
Wasim's case is very sad and my thoughts are with his family, friends and faculty.
However, perhaps some good can come out of the tragedy, by raising awareness and starting a debate about the plight faced by students such as Wasim and others, possibly preventing such events from occurring again.
I am not blaming the institution, classmates or anyone in particular here, but the fact is that some students will have a harder time in college than others, for whatever reason. If you add 'positive interaction' to that mix, as we argued in our article, that can become a lethal mixture at worst.
In many many more cases it simply results in the student dropping out of college quietly to be forgotten about and swept under the carpet as another 'victim' who couldn't handle it.
Therefore, in all honesty and without shame, I want the ragging article to be read by as many law students and faculty as possible. Please share it, if you think it deserves highlighting, or put it on pastebin or Facebook or anywhere else for free - "hits" are really not important.
I don't think wanting greater visibility for this is a bad thing, and I don't think suicides and ragging are always unrelated, though they may be in this particular case. See the immediately preceding paragraph above, for example, after listing a number of recent suicides at law schools:
[quote]In 2010 a student from Pune’s Deccan Education Society Law College reportedly committed suicide after allegedly having been ragged by a group of other students.
Last week Legally India covered ragging in law schools, which has decreased in recent years at the major law schools though a ragging culture still persists.
[/quote]
There are few if any formal support structures in place for students at most Indian law schools, both from the institution and from classmates. Often, in fact, it appears to be the opposite. Perhaps that should change.
Best wishes,
Kian
Kian
Clearly there are no English classes conducted as well.
Clearly there are no English classes conducted as well.[/quote]
Comment of the week!
My thots go out to his family but let us not use this as an oppurtunity to vent our ire against ppl not linked with the act in anyway.
I totally second it. It's amazing how in death people become "very bright", "good human beings", and so on. No truck against Wasim but we all need to control our desires to be Politically Correct.
R.I.P
The administration sucks. An overhaul shall always remain a dream. Most of the faculty remain royally remote to us. Counselling is a non existent crap over there. These Universities suck in ultra talented people from school (like blackholes), and this is what they make out of them?? Why would someone have taken such a step had he even been just happy with the people over there, if not marks?
And Gosh, Mr. Registrar - watch your words. You are there to shape future gems and not to dazzle up your CV or to speak in such an insensitive fashion. Seriously? Ah! You must be doing this for publicity- isn't it?
Wasim,There was a beautiful writer and sportsperson that you were nurturing inside. Why did you decide to make us miss you in this way?
May your soul rest in peace. Love
The administration sucks. An overhauling will always remain a dream. Most of the faculty remains royally remote to us. Counselling is a non existent crap in Nujs. How much more can we lie??
Mr. registrar. Mark you words. You are there to shape these gems up- and not to make such unholy, inhuman comments!! Ah- you did it for publicity- isn't it??
Wasim- A beautiful writer n amazing sportsman lived in you. Sorry, we failed to nurture them. We snatched smile from your lips and eventually your life. The step was drastic, brother. You could have tried to find those right kind of people who would have nourished your talents----- should have stayed away from such insane zoos- these universities.
May your soul rest in peace. We'll miss you loads.
It was not a hit and run case. The driver took her to hospital himself.