Army aspirant dies by suicide after failing to clear exam

NEW DELHI: A 21-year-old Army aspirant died after allegedly hanging himself at his residence here, days after an unsuccessful attempt at clearing an exam for recruitment into the defence force, police officials said Wednesday.

The youth, who hailed from Aligarh, was staying at a rented accommodation in Barola village along with his younger brother and two cousins – all preparing for the Army, the police said.

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“On Tuesday afternoon, the local police received an information about the suicide by the youth. Immediately, a police team reached the spot and took the body, which was hanging from a ceiling fan, in custody and sent for postmortem,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida), Harish Chander, said.

“An inquiry into the case revealed that the youth was preparing for competitive exams, including Army recruitment, in which he could not qualify. He was unhappy because of it and that is why he took the extreme step,” the DCP said. According to a local official, the youth, who belonged to a financially weak family, has also left behind a purported suicide note.

In the note, he expressed regret over not being able to get into the Army and asked his younger brother to fulfil his dream of getting into the defence force besides taking care of their parents, the official said. Mental health experts believe that suicides are preventable if first observers, like parents or spouse or friends, recognise the behavioural changes in a person and talk to them in order to not let them doubt their self-esteem.

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