Rebuked for staying online, two kill selves

HOWRAH: A Madhyamik candidate and a CBSE examinee killed themselves in their respective Howrah homes — one in

Shyampur

and the other in

Golabari

— after their parents rebuked them for chatting on social media just days before their board exams started.

In Shyampur’s Kalyanibartala, Madhyamik examinee

Ritwika Bera

, who had a good academic record, hanged herself at home on Friday night. Her mother Asha had allegedly scolded her for spending time on social media even when her exams were just a few days away. She reportedly snatched the smartphone away from Ritwika and broke it. The girl later refused to have dinner and went to her room. She was found hanging on Saturday morning. SDPO

Uluberia Rana Mukherjee

said, “The incident is the outcome of a generation gap. Our preliminary findings show the girl was driven to suicide after her mother scolded her for checking social media and broke her mobile.”

At Golabari, CBSE examinee Anubhav Singh told his father he was unprepared for the exams that start on Monday. Confessing he had spent too much time on social media and hadn’t prepared, Anubhav asked his father to allow him to skip this year’s exams.

His father Anand, a transport businessman, however, insisted that Anubhav take the exams this year itself, even if he fared poorly. Anubhav, who had been visibly upset, was found hanging in his room on Saturday morning. OC

Golabari Tathagatha Pandey

said, “We have started an unnatural death case and an investigation is on.”