Prisoner accused of murder cracks IIT-JAM 2022, secures 54th rank

He threw himself a challenge to study hard and crack the IIT-JAM. The challenge was not an easy one. The Jail has a capacity of around 600 prisoners but at present over 1,000 inmates are lodged in it.

Nawada (Bihar):Setting up an example that hard work and determination are a person's best buddies even in the worst of places, a Bihar youth jailed in a murder case has managed to crack the exhaustive Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM) 2022 conducted by The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee last month.

Kaushlendra Kumar alias Suraj, a 22-year-old undertrial prisoner lodged in Nawada jail, managed to secure 54th rank across India in the exam conducted at various centres across the country on February 13 this year. A resident of Mosma in Warsaliganj town, Suraj made his village proud as he made the most of his time behind bars by preparing for the examination.

For the past eleven months, Suraj is in jail related to a murder case. In April 2021, one Sanjay Yadav died after he was injured during a dispute at Mosma village between two groups over a drain. Suraj and several other people were arrested in the case and lodged in Nawada jail. Getting arrested in a murder case in itself is a life-altering situation for anyone, but Suraj had other things in his mind.

He threw himself a challenge to study hard and crack the IIT-JAM. The challenge was not an easy one. The Jail has a capacity of 614 prisoners but at present over 1000 inmates are lodged in it. Suraj had to struggle with the lack of space, clamour, as well as mental pressure of being in jail as a murder accused. Yet, he managed to crack the prestigious examination.

Suraj has dedicated the success to former jail superintendent Abhishek Kumar Pandey and his brother Virendra Kumar who played significant roles in motivating him to study. "I have a dream to become a scientist which is why I chose this examination and studied for it while being in jail. I focused on self-study and ensured to crack this exam, “ Suraj asserted. Candidates who clear IIT-JAM are admitted to the MSc programme.