Firdous Qadri
The lifeless body of Faisal Bashir, a 19-year-old student from Gunipora, Kupwara, was discovered on Saturday afternoon in his rented room in Dudwana, Kupwara.
Faisal’s death came just a day after the declaration of his Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) result by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on April 18, 2025.
Faisal, who had been attending a local tuition center in Kupwara, had been under significant academic pressure leading up to the examination.
His body, as per hospital sources, was found under mysterious circumstances, and authorities have taken it to the hospital for medico-legal formalities to determine the cause of death.
Local residents and peers who spoke to The Kashmiriyat remembered Faisal as a bright and respectful student. “He was an incredibly dedicated student, always striving to do his best,” said one of his neighbors. “He was kind-hearted, and we never noticed any signs of distress.”
A local student, Adil Bashir, pointed to the intense competition and pressure students face in the region. “The pressure to succeed, especially in exams like JEE, is overwhelming. It feels like the entire community is constantly pushing to be the best, with little room for failure,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
The unhealthy academic competition has been further fueled by media’s focus on toppers. A local Facebook journalist commented, “The unhealthy competition is exacerbated by media glorifying toppers. People need to change what they engage with. Once they stop engaging with such content, no one will promote these stories. It’s heartbreaking that so many young people are dying because of this competition, yet in Kashmiri discourse, it’s barely discussed. People die in silence, and families mourn in silence. The social conscience seems long dead here, with discussions often revolving around trivial matters like comedy or divisive issues.”
This incident is not isolated. Several students in the region have tragically lost their lives under similar pressures.
Last year, a 16-year-old student from Kulgam ended her life after failing a class 12th exam. In 2023, another student from Anantnag was found dead in his hostel room under similar circumstances.
Authorities are investigating the cause of Faisal’s death, but the increasing number of such incidents has sparked widespread concern about the mental health impact of academic pressures in Kashmir.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
