JNV Pailapool Class 9 Student Found Dead In Hostel Bathroom, Family Suspects Ragging Angle

Arindam Das, a Class 9 student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Pailapool in Cachar, was found dead inside the hostel bathroom on Wednesday morning (March 11). His family doubts that there could be a ragging angle involved in this as he had just returned to the hostel on Sunday (March 8), after spending vacation at home.

Arindam, a resident of Chengkuri in Silchar, had taken admission to the school around six months ago through the Lateral Entry Selection Test (LEST).

The previous night (March 10), at around 9 PM, Arindam spoke to his father, Anupam Das, over the hostel telephone. Recalling the conversation, his father said, “He asked me whether I had food and whether I was doing alright. I advised him to obey his seniors and teachers and behave well with everyone. But he didn’t tell me anything about facing a hard time or any fights. He had exams from Friday, so I also asked him to study well”

Arindam was the second son of Anupam Das of Kukubari, Chengkuri.

Speaking to Barak Bulletin, Arindam’s brother, Ajay Das, said the family suspects there may be a possibility of ragging or harassment by seniors, although he stressed that these are only suspicions at this stage.

“He was a strong boy. I don’t think he would kill himself over any silly reasons,” Ajay said.

According to Ajay, the house master of the hostel initially informed the family in the morning that Arindam had gone missing from the hostel. However, when the family called again after some time, they were allegedly told that the boy had died by suicide.

“They told us he was found hanging from the bathroom grill with his bathroom towel. But when we reached the school, his body had already been taken down by the magistrate. We did not see him in that condition,” he said.

Vishwas Kumar, Principal of JNV Pailapool, said, “This morning at 5:40 AM, I was informed that a student had been found dead inside the Shivalik Junior Sadan. The staff nurse of our school reached the spot and informed the police, and a magistrate arrived at the school to initiate the due procedure. We have informed all the departments. A three-tier investigation — at the school level, state government level, and Navodaya department level — has been initiated immediately. We are extremely saddened that such an unfortunate incident has happened inside our school. We fully understand the grievance of the parents, and we have an anti-ragging committee in our school. We want to assure that a detailed investigation will be conducted at our school level to find out if any such details are involved. If anyone is found guilty, due procedure will be followed to take action.”

The incident has raised serious concerns among family members, who are demanding a proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student’s death. Police from Lakhipur Police Station had taken the body to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital for a postmortem. Further investigations are underway by the Cachar Police.

As per an answer to an unstarred question by V. Sivadasan in the Rajya Sabha on February 7, 2024, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Annpurna Devi informed the house that 24 students committed suicide inside JNVs across India between 2019 and 2023.

In recent years, incidents of ragging and bullying in residential schools like Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) have raised serious concerns. In November 2025, a ragging incident at JNV Morigaon in Assam led to the suspension of a teacher and the transfer of nine senior students after a junior student was allegedly assaulted inside the hostel. In another serious case in August 2025, seven senior students of JNV Rangia in Kamrup district were detained after a Class VI student alleged sexual abuse by seniors inside the hostel. Such incidents have repeatedly drawn attention to concerns over student safety, bullying, and mental stress faced by juniors living in residential school hostels.