Delhi Schoolboy’s Suicide Exposes the Rot in an Education System Flooded With Incompetent Teachers
Townhall Times — Soon after the death of Shaurya Patil, a Class 10 student of St. Columba’s School, Rajender Nagar, who died by suicide, the Education Minister issued a rehearsed and perfunctory statement saying, “We are serious about the problem and are doing something; the school has also taken some steps.”
Strange — deeply strange — that the same Education Minister and the Delhi Government, who claim to be gravely concerned, did not visit the school, did not meet the bereaved family, did not call senior police officials, and did not attempt to initiate a holistic investigation that could identify the root causes, the chain of events, and the post-incident failures to ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again.
According to media reports and other reliable sources, the accused teacher had been regularly scolding and humiliating Shaurya Patil. It is reported to have become a routine affair, leading Shaurya to repeatedly tell his parents that he wanted to leave and change the school. His parents lodged several complaints with the principal, but no action was taken. Shaurya is also said to have told teachers and the school counsellor that he would take his own life, yet no preventive steps were taken. In the end, he died by suicide. A suicide note has reportedly been recovered.
As per the FIR, the Delhi schoolboy allegedly jumped from Platform No. 2 of Rajendra Place Metro Station. Police recovered his school bag from the station, which contained the suicide note.
What Did the Boy’s Letter Reveal?
According to investigators, the boy’s final note described how constant reprimands and repeated humiliation by school staff had pushed him to the breaking point. In the letter, he apologised to his parents and his elder brother, expressing deep remorse and affection. He also made a heartfelt request that whatever organs remained usable after his death be donated to people in need.
He wrote to his brother, apologising for moments when he had been rude, and told his mother that he was sorry for every instance in which he had hurt her feelings, adding that this would be the last time he caused her pain. The letter reflected his gratitude toward his family and his sorrow that he could not give them more in return.
Police officers familiar with the case said the note ended with his appeal that whatever part of him was still functioning should be used to save someone else’s life. He requested that all salvageable organs be donated.
In the handwritten note found inside his school bag, the boy explained that he felt driven to take this extreme step because of the relentless behaviour of certain school staff. He repeatedly apologised to his family, thanked them for everything they had done, and asked that his organs be given to those who needed them. He also wrote that he had caused his mother heartbreak many times and that this would be the last.
He specifically asked that firm action be taken against the teachers he held responsible, writing that his final wish was that no other child should be pushed into the same emotional corner. The letter stated plainly that he felt the teachers’ conduct had brought him to this point. Police are currently analysing the contents and allegations in the note.
On the day of the incident, the 16-year-old student had left home in good spirits, looking forward to attending a drama club activity. But by the afternoon, he had ended his life. Officials say he jumped from Platform No. 2 of the Rajendra Place Metro Station in central Delhi at around 2:34 pm. His school bag was recovered at the spot, along with the note in which he attributed his distress to harassment by school teachers and demanded strict consequences for them.
‘He Was Scolded for Every Small Thing’
According to his parents, he had been complaining for nearly a year that some teachers repeatedly scolded, insulted, and psychologically hurt him over trivial matters. They claimed to have raised verbal complaints multiple times with both teachers and the principal, but said nothing changed. His father recalled that the teacher would even complain to him, labelling the boy as mischievous.
Classmates reportedly told the family that one particular teacher had been threatening the boy with a transfer certificate and warning that his parents would be summoned to school. According to them, three to four other children were subjected to similar behaviour.
The boy’s aunt said the family had not realised how severely he had been suffering. She said he had been depressed, often complaining about harassment, but the family had refrained from making a formal issue because he was in Class 10. She added that the boy had told teachers and the school counsellor that he was contemplating suicide, but none of them informed the family. They learned of this only through his friends after his death.
His father said they had agreed to move him to another school after his board examinations, but three days before his prelims he was allegedly threatened with expulsion. He also claimed that the boy had written down the names of the teachers he believed had tormented him.
The incident triggered a protest by parents and students outside the school, accusing the administration of ignoring repeated complaints of teacher misconduct.
A Systemic Failure
The tragedy re-ignites a long-standing problem: the growing number of incompetent and insensitive teachers in government and private schools. Over the past 15 years, numerous cases have surfaced in national and regional media pointing to teacher misconduct, abuse, negligence, and emotional cruelty toward students.
Several teachers, speaking anonymously, claimed that numerous FIRs have been filed against school staff across Delhi. They also stated that complaints have been submitted to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Education Minister. This reporter personally attempted to speak to MLA Ashish Sood regarding the situation in Delhi’s schools and the concerns over unqualified teachers, but he was never available, not even for a phone call. The same pattern emerged with senior officials in the Education Department—directors and deputy directors alike remained inaccessible.
Instead, many of these officials appear more preoccupied with enjoying the perks of ministerial rank, indulging in privileges funded by the public exchequer, while students and parents continue to grapple with the consequences of a failing system.
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