High school student dies in Assam

GUWAHATI

A fifth-semester student of a central university in north-central Assam’s Tezpur has died by suicide, less than a fortnight after a student of another central institute near Guwahati died allegedly due to medical negligence.

In a statement on Thursday (September 17, 2026), the Registrar of Tezpur University mourned the death of the student.

“The university is providing the necessary support and cooperation to the relevant authorities in accordance with due process. The exact circumstances and possible factors that led to the incident are yet to be officially determined,” the statement said.

The student’s body was found in his dormitory, university authorities said. A preliminary investigation by the police pointed to a suicide.

“The university will form a high-level committee to review the existing mechanisms to promote students’ mental well-being and identify measures to strengthen them,” the registrar said in a statement.

“The committee will engage with all relevant stakeholders, including students, faculty members, supervisors, advisors and other affected members of the university community, to understand their experiences and suggestions and recommend appropriate action,” he added.

A student at the Northeast Regional Center of the National Institute of Physical Education at Lakshmibai in Sonapur near Guwahati started complaining of severe abdominal and back pain on September 4.

Her roommates and students alleged that the school doctor repeatedly prescribed pain medication without diagnosing or treating the underlying cause, worsening her condition. She was taken to a private hospital in Guwahati where she died after doctors found a serious complication.

Her death sparked protests at the institution’s Sonapur campus, pointing to the lack of full-time permanent doctors, adequate emergency infrastructure and ambulance services. The students also demanded ₹50 crore as compensation for the victim’s family.

College authorities later suspended Senior Warden Meriline Gogoi pending an investigation with orders not to leave the campus. The services of two others — contract campus doctor Jyoti Prasad Barman and contract nurse Ripanjali Konwar — have been terminated.

(Help to overcome suicidal thoughts is available on Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha Suicide Prevention Helpline 044-24640050)

Published – 17 Sep 2026 18:50 IST