A Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) candidate died after falling from the rooftop of a multi-storey building in Mymensingh just hours before she was due to sit the first examination of the 2026 HSC and equivalent examinations, leaving family members, fellow students and the local community in deep shock.
The tragic incident occurred at around 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, 2 July, at a building known as NASA Tower on Kachijhuli Mosque Road in Mymensingh city. The examination was scheduled to begin nationwide at 10:00 a.m., marking the culmination of nearly two years of academic preparation for more than a million students across Bangladesh.
The deceased, Tisha Sarkar, 18, was an HSC candidate from Mintu College in Mymensingh. She was the daughter of Uttam Sarkar and Moni Sarkar of Madhyabazar in Tarakanda Upazila. To facilitate her studies, she had been living in a female students’ hostel in the Kachijhuli area for approximately two years.
According to police and local sources, Tisha went to the rooftop of the six-storey building shortly after dawn. A short time later, she fell from the roof. Residents rushed to the scene after hearing a loud noise and found her critically injured. She was immediately taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors on duty pronounced her dead.
Those living in the hostel said that most students were still asleep when the incident took place. As a result, no one has been able to explain with certainty how or why Tisha went to the rooftop before dawn. The absence of eyewitnesses has left several questions unanswered, prompting investigators to refrain from drawing any conclusions at this stage.
After receiving information about the incident, officers from Mymensingh Kotwali Model Police Station arrived at the scene, collected evidence and initiated an investigation. The body was later sent to the morgue at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination, which police say will play a key role in determining the circumstances surrounding her death.
Ashraful Karim, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) in Mymensingh, said that preliminary findings suggest the student died after falling from the rooftop of the six-storey building. He stressed, however, that investigators have not yet established whether the incident was linked to examination-related psychological pressure, a personal issue or any other factor.
He added that the post-mortem report, forensic findings, witness statements, evidence collected from the scene and information provided by the victim’s relatives would all be examined before any definitive conclusion is reached. Appropriate legal procedures will follow once the investigation is complete.
The incident has cast a sombre shadow over the opening day of the nationwide HSC examinations. While speculation has emerged regarding the possible reasons behind the tragedy, law enforcement authorities have urged restraint, emphasising that the exact cause of the student’s death can only be determined after a thorough and impartial investigation.
