The sudden and tragic death of a 21-year old nursing student, Abiel Slachiana Ch Marak at Imphal’s Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) on May 14 has ignited a wave of concern and condemnation in Meghalaya which has sparked widespread suspicion that the “suicide” may be linked to “institutional negligence, psychological harassment, systemic failure, and potential foul play.”
Social organisations and the Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress have put up separate demands to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla for an independent judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death. This comes exactly a week when students of the institute had protested on May 7, demanding the resignation of the RIMS Director, Dean, and Sub-Dean who were accused of making obscene remarks during a college event on April 24, harassing female students, imposing fines over a picnic on April 30, and ordering hostel evacuations.
According to the students, the Director allegedly made remarks of “dance naked,” “commit suicide,” or else he would “hang them.” RIMS justified disciplinary action saying students defied warnings and skipped classes in order to attend the picnic. Punishments included a 15-day suspension and fines.
Call it a coincidence or not, the compass of suspicion and doubt is on RIMS. In 2021, a fifth-semester MBBS student of the institute was found hanging in his hostel room on March 15 that sparked protest. According to reports, instances of violence and mysterious death have been recorded in the RIMS campus.
All these unpalatable happenings only lead us to one single conclusion that there are some dark secrets hidden in the grounds and corridors of this premier medical institution which needs to be cracked open to let the sunlight of investigation reveal the truth about the last moments of Marak and the previous suicide cases and deaths.
Student suicides are not new. In every case there are rumours of what happened but no concrete facts, except the fact that a young person took their own life. It was the instance when the parents of two students who had committed suicide filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court seeking a probe into the death of their wards, that ultimately led to the Supreme Court setting up a national task force headed by its former judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat to address the high numbers of students taking their own lives. Despite there being no concrete evidence it was usually linked to bullying by persons of authority, ragging or fear of failure. The SC task force sought to study students’ mental health concerns and prevent suicides in higher educational institutions. Amazing as it seems it was noted that student suicides have surpassed instances of farmers killing themselves due to agrarian distress. Evidently, students are under tremendous stress. Under the National task now three working groups have been formed, each tasked with going into the main reasons that pushes an otherwise normal student going about their studies to hang themselves.
The working groups must undertake to study the situation in RIMS which has given itself the dubious distinction of being a suicide institution for unwary youth who go to study there. We urge the Supreme Court Task Force to delve into the death of Abiel, the young nursing student and this gives her justice.
