Tears of grief, instead of joy

Perhaps joy and festivity swept through the homes of law students from Jagannath University's batch-14 as their final results for the bachelor's degree were announced on Sunday.

While the majority of parents would have been extremely pleased with their children's accomplishments, Tahmina Shabnam, mother of Fairuz Abontika, broke down in tears when she learned the results of her daughter, who is no longer with her.

"A day of joy has instead become one of sorrow and regret. The loss of Abontika has devastated us. How are we going to deal with this?" Tahmina cried.

With a grade point average of 3.65 out of 4, Abontika secured third position in her batch. Her final semester grade was 3.73, according to Nurunnahar, an associate professor of the law department at JnU.

Abontika was a bright student who pursued her education at Nawab Faizunnesa Govt Girls' High School. She consistently received good grades on her school and board examinations.

After achieving a GPA-5 in her SSC and maintaining consistency in her HSC exams, Abontika was selected to pursue general duty pilot training in the Air Force. However, she had to turn down the offer because of health issues.

"For years, I have stood outside classrooms and exam halls, waiting for my daughter. I remember the smile of contentment on her face when her results came out. That smile only lives in my memories now," said Tahmina as tears rolled down her cheeks.

On March 15, Abontika died by suicide after sharing a status on Facebook, blaming her classmate Raihan Siddique Amman and assistant proctor Din Islam for her death.

She accused Amman of harassing her repeatedly, hurling sexual abuse and spreading rumours about her on campus, under the refuge of the assistant proctor.

Following the incident, her mother filed a case against the two with Cumilla Kotwali Police Station, accusing them of abetting suicide.

They were arrested and taken into remand, following which Din Islam was granted bail by the High Court. Meanwhile, Amman remains behind bars, said inspector Mujibur Rahman of judge court in Cumilla.