14 year-old boy rescued from school building

Manama : A 14-year-old student threatened to commit suicide by jumping off the school building yesterday. The incident occurred at the New Indian School and the boy, a ninth standard student threatened to jump off the school bathroom located in the second floor. Sources said the boy would have done the act owing to poor grades. “He got further infuriated when a group of boys tried to help him and threw water bottles at them.”

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Directorate within the Interior Ministry said in a release that a team consisting of three officers and 10 personnel instantly rushed to the spot. The floor beneath the window was secured using a safety mat. Paramedics were also brought to the scene. Initially the Civil Defence team made an attempt to reach the boy using a ladder, but it was aborted as the boy threatened to jump.

A video that went viral showed a team member grabbing the boy by his collar while trying to pacify him. He was then taken to a hospital for medical check-up. Speaking to Tribune, Dr Anisha Abraham, clinical psychologist at American Mission Hospital, said the school can’t be solely blamed for the incident. “Parents as well as teachers should encourage vulnerable students to be counseled to prevent self-harming activities.”