A somber cloud has descended over Chaygaon in Assam’s Kamrup district after a tragic incident involving a teenage girl, who reportedly died by suicide shortly after the announcement of the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) 2025 examination results. The girl, a student from a local government school, allegedly took the extreme step after failing to locate her roll number in the list of declared results on Thursday morning.
Her family members said she had woken up early, anxiously awaiting the results. Like thousands of others across the state, she accessed the online portal as soon as it went live. According to her relatives, she spent several minutes repeatedly searching for her roll number. When she failed to find it, she grew visibly distressed and locked herself inside her room.
Family members said they knocked on her door several times, urging her to come out, but she did not respond. They eventually forced the door open and found her unresponsive. They rushed her to the nearest health centre, but doctors declared her dead on arrival. The news has left the community in shock, with neighbours and friends struggling to comprehend the depth of her despair.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the matter. The police have not found any foul play so far and believe the incident was triggered by emotional distress following the results. They recovered her mobile phone and a personal diary, which may provide additional context into her state of mind in the final hours.
School officials described the girl as a quiet and dedicated student. Teachers remembered her as someone who regularly attended classes and actively participated in school activities. Many staff members expressed disbelief at the incident, saying she never showed signs of emotional vulnerability or academic pressure during her time at school.
Education officials in Kamrup have expressed concern over the increasing psychological stress faced by students, especially during board exam results. The district education officer said the department would reach out to the girl’s school to offer counseling support to her classmates and teachers. He stressed the need for greater mental health awareness and support systems for students.
The Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB), which declared the HSLC results, acknowledged the tragic incident. The Board’s chairman said they had already instructed schools and guardians to provide emotional support to students and to report any signs of depression or anxiety during this high-stakes period. He noted that the student’s result had not actually been published yet due to a technical delay in data uploading, a situation that affected a small batch of students.
He added that such cases highlight the urgent need for improving communication between the Board, schools, and students. The chairman assured that the board would address all technical issues and issue a clarification to ensure no other student suffers in silence due to confusion or delay.
Child rights activists have condemned the lack of timely support and have urged the state government to introduce helpline numbers and online counseling services for students during the exam result period. They have also called for awareness campaigns in schools and colleges to teach young people about dealing with failure and emotional distress.
The incident has reignited the conversation around mental health among adolescents in Assam. Educators, counselors, and parents across the state have expressed concern over the mounting pressure on students and the lack of accessible mental health services. Several schools in Kamrup have announced special sessions to talk to students about emotional well-being and to ensure they don’t bottle up their fears or anxieties.
The loss of a young life due to a misunderstanding or delay in result processing has sent shockwaves through the education community. The state’s education department has promised to strengthen communication systems and to explore mechanisms for providing real-time emotional support to students. Meanwhile, Chaygaon continues to mourn the untimely death of a girl who had once hoped her name would be among the successful candidates.
The tragedy has led to widespread public outrage and soul-searching among educators, policymakers, and families alike. Community leaders in Chaygaon have urged the state government to treat this as a wake-up call. They demanded that schools be equipped not only to teach academic subjects but also to nurture emotional resilience in students. Many parents gathered outside the school in the following days, seeking reassurance and clarity from teachers about how they planned to prevent such an incident from repeating.
Mental health professionals have emphasized that exam-related stress needs to be addressed year-round and not only during the result season. A Guwahati-based psychologist, Dr. Rumi Das, explained that children often internalize expectations from family, teachers, and peers, which can overwhelm them during moments of perceived failure. She pointed out that schools should routinely screen students for signs of anxiety or depression and train teachers to respond with empathy rather than judgment.
In response to mounting pressure, the Assam Education Department has announced that it will review protocols related to result publication. Officials said they would issue a detailed advisory to all schools before next year’s examinations, outlining best practices for communicating results, addressing student queries, and ensuring the presence of support staff on result day. The department has also proposed the deployment of trained counselors at district levels during the exam season.
Meanwhile, the girl’s grieving family has asked for privacy while they process their loss. Her father, a daily wage worker, shared that his daughter had always dreamed of becoming a nurse and had studied hard despite limited resources. He said she never expressed any fear of failure and described her as hopeful about her future. His voice broke as he said he wished someone had told them she was silently suffering.
The incident has sparked conversations across Assam’s schools and households. Teachers are now initiating open discussions in classrooms about academic pressure, expectations, and the importance of seeking help. Students have started sharing their own fears and insecurities, often for the first time, in these safe spaces.
Non-governmental organizations working with adolescents have stepped in to offer mental health workshops and awareness drives. Several education-focused groups have already planned campaigns in rural and semi-urban areas like Chaygaon to promote the importance of emotional literacy alongside academics.
As the community reels from this heartbreaking event, the hope remains that her death will not go in vain. The calls for reform and increased attention to student mental health grow louder each day. Her story, tragic as it is, now serves as a stark reminder that behind every roll number lies a life, a dream, and a fragile heart in need of care.