Remembering Aryan Razdan: A Bright Kashmiri Soul Gone Too Soon

Remembering Aryan Razdan: A Bright Kashmiri Soul Gone Too Soon

By: Abdul Qayoom Ganie

Aryan Razdan, a 19-year-old Kashmiri Pandit student from Budgam, tragically died by suicide on May 19, 2025, in his hostel room at Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC), Jhanjeri, Mohali. He was a second-semester BBA student.

According to reports, Aryan was caught using his mobile phone during an examination. Following this incident, he returned to his hostel room, where he was later found hanging. Police investigations revealed the presence of anti-depressant medications in his room, suggesting he may have been experiencing mental health challenges.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has raised serious concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding Aryan's death. They allege that Aryan faced severe mental harassment by college authorities after the cheating incident, which may have contributed to his decision to take his own life. Furthermore, JKSA claims that Aryan's hostel room was cleaned before police arrived, and his mobile phone and laptop were taken without the family's knowledge, raising suspicions of evidence tampering. The association has called for a transparent and time-bound investigation into the matter.

This incident has sparked outrage and highlighted the need for educational institutions to provide adequate mental health support to students. It also underscores the importance of ensuring fair and compassionate treatment of students facing disciplinary actions.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, it's crucial to seek help. In India, you can contact the iCall helpline at +91 9152987821 or the Vandrevala Foundation Helpline at 1860 266 2345. Remember, you're not alone, and support is available.

I want justice. I want to see my son. I want him if he is alive, and if dead: Agya Kour

By: Sheikh Gulzaar
Srinagar: Family of a youth is awaiting justice for the past 11 years, demanding the whereabouts of their son, they say, was picked up by Special Operations Group of  Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Ichpal’s mother, Agya Kour, said her son left home on March 20, 1999 to get sugar from market, but never returned. “All I remember is that the incident took place one year after the Chittisingpora massacre,” she said, adding, “My son was on way to the market when the SOG picked him up. Since then, I have been moving from pillar to post for justice. I want my son.”

The family resides at Sanat Nagar on the city outskirts after migrating from Arina village in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. Ichpal, son of Karan Singh, was 13-year-old at the time of his arrest. “An SOG man would demand money from us after we sold a cow. But we refused,” she said.

In 2000, Kour said she filed a report about the case in police station, Saddar, and later moved the JK Human Rights Commission in 2001 when police did nothing.  In its judgment in 2003, the Commission recommended to the government that an amount of Rs 1 lakh be paid to Kour as ex-gratia relief and sent the order to chief secretary for implementation. “The Government shall inform the Commission about its action within one month,” the JKHRC said.

The 2-page report mentioned that the boy’s antecedents were “not shady” and the “police has not stated that he was involved in any anti-national or any illegal action.” Even the senior superintendent of police, Srinagar, in his report said that the youth was not involved in any militancy-related activity.

“The then government didn’t respect the JKHRC verdict. For three years, I was not given the ex-gratia even as I am very poor lady, working as peon and having an  ailing husband,” Kour said.

The ex-gratia was sanctioned to Kour on 10 July, 2006, by the then deputy commissioner, Budgam. But, Kour said, the amount could not compensate her son’s loss. “I want justice. I want to see my son. I want him if he is alive, and if dead, I want the killers behind bars,” she told me .(Writer-South Asia)