District topper dies by suicide hours before class 12 pre-board exam in UP

A 17-year-old student who had topped his district in the 2023 class 10 board examinations allegedly died by suicide, just hours before he was to appear for his class 12 physics pre-board exam, police said.

The death of Raunak Pathak, a resident of Saket Nagar here and a student of Brij Kishori Devi Memorial Inter College, has sent shockwaves through the neighbourhood.

Raunak had scored 97.4 per cent in his class 10 board exams, earning him a complete fee waiver at his coaching institute.

Raunak’s father, Alok Pathak, who works at a private firm, told the police that his son had left home around 6:30 am on Monday but had not returned. When repeated calls went unanswered, his sister Mini and father began searching for him.

A few hours later, Raunak’s motorcycle was found near the Juhi railway yard, where Raunak’s body was discovered beside the tracks, officials said.

“I never imagined my only son would take such an extreme step. He was so bright,” Raunak’s devastated father said.

Government Railway Police (GRP) inspector Om Narayan Singh said the body of the deceased has been sent for a post-mortem, and a probe is underway.

“The reason behind the suicide is unclear. We are examining his mobile phone and speaking to his friends,” he added.