(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- In the close-knit lanes of Dalal Mohalla in Srinagar, grief hangs in the air like smoke. A local boy, darling to dozens of denizens here, is gone. And his sudden departure has left an entire neighbourhood searching for answers
Fourteen-year-old Numan Farooq Sofi, an orphan raised by his deaf father and older siblings, was found dead in his home earlier this week. His family says he died by suicide after being harassed by his school, repeatedly, over tattoos on his body.
He was a student at Kashmir Harvard Educational Institute, a well-known private school in the city. His sister, Mehwish, says the pressure had become unbearable.
“They made us come to the school many times,” she said.“They said his tattoos were a problem. They wanted an affidavit, a promise he wouldn't do it again. But he was already trying to remove them.”
She pauses, then adds,“He had gone for four tattoo removal sittings. What more did they want?”
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In the alleyway outside their home, neighbours and relatives gather in small, silent groups. The conversations circle around Numan - a teenager known for being sensitive, reserved, and artistic.
No one is sure how to make sense of the tragic end. But most of them believe it was not just the tattoos that led him to this point, it was the way he was treated because of them.
“This is not a suicide,” said Suhail Ahmad Kaul, president of the local mosque.“It's a slow death caused by cruelty. Even if a child makes a mistake, is this how we treat them? With shame and humiliation?”
Kaul said the school authorities pulled Numan out of class, made him sit in the office, and embarrassed him in front of other students.“They broke him,” he said.“This is not a jail. It's supposed to be a school.”
In Islam, tattooing is often discouraged. But that wasn't the issue for the family.“We're not defending the tattoos,” Mehwish said.“We're saying: don't destroy a child for it.”
She described Numan's tattoos as small, personal symbols - things he connected with after losing his mother.
“They were just part of how he was coping,” she said.“He didn't drink. He didn't smoke. He was just... trying to figure life out.”
What has hurt the family even more, she said, is the silence from the school after his death.
“They didn't put out a single condolence,” Mehwish said.“No message. Nothing. They just moved on, as if he never existed.”
The school has denied any wrongdoing. A senior official from Kashmir Harvard told local media that the allegations are“baseless and deeply hurtful.”
“He was our student,” the official said.“We are heartbroken by his death. There was no harassment. We talk to students and parents respectfully. There was never any plan to expel him.”
The same official added,“I personally believe tattoos are not a crime - but this is a school. Discipline is part of what we do.”
That response hasn't satisfied many in the community. Residents say the school's behaviour, before and after Numan's death, reflects a deeper problem: a culture in some institutions that prioritizes order over empathy.
How should schools handle sensitive issues like self-expression? What kind of support do they offer to students struggling with trauma or identity? And when a student dies under such circumstances, what responsibility do they carry?
There are no easy answers. But Numan's death has left behind questions that demand more than denial.
In Dalal Mohalla, Mehwish clutches a faded photo of her younger brother. In it, he's smiling shyly, wearing a black hoodie, headphones around his neck.
“He was just a child,” she said.“And they treated him like he was something to fix, not someone to understand.”
The photo is all she has now.
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