Karachi - His mother says he got late because his vehicle broke down en route to university.
By Curated by Yousuf Saifuddin Kapadia
Published: Wed 13 Apr 2016, 11:10 AM
Last updated: Wed 13 Apr 2016, 1:52 PM
A young dental student has committed suicide in Pakistan after he was not allowed to appear in his final paper.
According to local media reports, 27-year-old Abdul Basit Jamal Siddiqui - a final year BDS student of Hamdard University (HU) - got late for his final paper on Monday, after his car broke down en route to university.
A disheartened Basit then committed suicide by immolating himself on campus.
According to reports, the exam for the paper was held between 11am to 1pm at the university's main campus on Monday, but Basit arrived at the campus half an hour after the paper ended. He came in at around 1:30pm when the examination had already finished and external examiners left the university, read a text message sent in by the university management.
Dr Abrar, his teacher, barred him from appearing in the exam, asking him to consult the principal.
The Principal of Hamdard University's main campus also told him that he would not be allowed to sit in the exam, and instead advised him to go to the university's city campus in Nazimabad to discuss this matter further.
According to the 27-year-old's mother, Fatima Shahid, despite requesting the vice-principal to allow him to appear in the exam as it was his final year, Vice-Principal Nadeem Khokhar also refused. It was then that Abdul Basit attempted suicide at the dental hospital.
"He was enrolled in 2007 in the BDS programme and failed every year in some courses and repeated every year during the four years of BDS," Dr Furqan, the principal, told The Express Tribune.
He added that, as per policy, none of the universities in the city allowed students to appear in an exam if he arrived late.
Basit's mother said that her son got delayed after his vehicle broke down.
Governor initiates probe
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan set up a three-member committee, composed of senior educationists, to investigate the student's 'suicide', which the family termed a murder, Dawn.com reported on Tuesday.
The aggrieved parents refused to believe that their 'educated and cool-headed' son could take such a drastic step. Suspecting foul play, the family alleged that someone threw petrol on Basit and ignited it while he was on the campus.