A Class X student enacted the suicide scene from Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots in real life in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district — writing “I QUIT” in her note, reports Mail Today.
Sheela, of Vidhyachal Academy School, consumed poison on Monday because of increased pressure to complete and submit her assignment. She died two days later.
Almost 24 hours after Sheela's death, a Class XII student of New Children Home School drank poison as he was unable to complete his homework. The boy is under treatment at a private nursing home.
These came amid reports that a Class VIII student of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sagar district committed suicide by jumping into a well.
In his school diary, he wrote that he ended his life because of homework pressure.
These suicides ring an alarm because in 3 Idiots , a student hangs himself in his hostel room and writes “ I QUIT” when it becomes unbearable for him to finish a project before the exams. The only difference was that the character in the film, Joy Lobo, wrote “ I QUIT” on a wall, while Sheela did it in her suicide note which was kept inside her bag and addressed to her schoolteacher.
Sheela reportedly consumed a poisonous substance in the science laboratory of the school.
“She was sent to Dewas district hospital and was moved to Indore's Bombay Hospital. On Wednesday afternoon, the doctors declared her dead,” Dewas Kotwali police station in- charge Kesh Narayan Tiwari, said.
The police, after lodging a case against the schoolteacher, said the film could have been partly responsible for Sheela's extreme step.
The girl had reportedly watched 3 Idiots . It's not known whether the two other suicides were inspired by the film.
In another unrelated incident, a 22-year-old girl Reena Kumar Chettiar in Navi Mumbai committed suicide because she did not get a job in a BOP of her choice, reports Mumbai Mirror.
Reena, a BPO worker from Koparkhairane committed suicide by hanging herself on Wednesday evening. Police said she was looking to change jobs, and was depressed after failing to get into the company of her choice.
Reena was a resident of Omkar Society in Sector 22. She was an Arts graduate who had been working with BPOs for around two years. On Wednesday, her parents told police, she had gone for a job interview to a well-known BPO at Vikhroli. However, she was rejected, while her friend was hired.
“She was extremely confident that she would get the job. When she got back home, she told her mother that she failed miserably and looked very depressed. She told her mother to carry on to the market, and said that she would sleep for a bit,” said Senior Inspector Arun Walture of Koparkhairane Police Station.
When her parents returned around 6.30 pm, they found her hanging. On a small chit of paper, she scribbled a brief suicide note stating that nobody is to blame for her death and apologising to her parents for taking the drastic step.
Reena had joined the Vashi-based Altius Customer Services Pvt Ltd – her current employer – as a customer service executive less than 10 days ago.
“She was confirmed on January 12 and was to get her ID card and appointment letter on Wednesday. However, she took the day off,” said Zareena Khan, the company's Human Resources head. She had skipped work so she could go for the interview. The girl is survived by her mother, father and a younger brother. The family was too distraught to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, alarmed by the rising number of suicides by students, the Maharashtra education department has directed all district education officers to keep a vigil in their areas.
Following a suicide in their district, the officers will have to submit a detailed report within 24 hours. They will also have to visit the suicide spot.
State education minister Balasaheb Thorat told the newspaper DNA that the department is 'worried' about the rise in suicide cases.
According to Thorat, the government does not have any data about students' suicide. "I have directed the officials to maintain the data and ascertain the facts that would help us in deciding our next step," he said.
