Srinagar, June 5 -- His tattoos, reportedly the reason he was harassed by school staff, weren't unusual for someone his age. For a teenager exploring identity, ink on skin can be a way to feel seen. But instead of curiosity or conversation, Numan met ridicule and shame.

He was called immoral. Deviant. And eventually, he couldn't bear it anymore.

The tragedy forced Kashmiris to confront an uncomfortable truth: our schools, especially the elite ones, aren't always safe. They prize order. They demand conformity. But they rarely protect children from humiliation, or allow space for difference.

People are speaking now. But when I was a student, they didn't.

Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, I was among the "lucky" ones. I had made it to o...