Toppers: 49 of 66 top-ranking students from South Bengal dists
Kolkata: Southern districts of Bengal have dominated the Madhyamik 2025 merit list, with 49 of the 66 top-ranking students hailing from the region. Bankura emerged as the top-performing district, contributing 11 students to the top ten ranks — the highest from any single district.
Leading the charge from Bankura is Soumya Pal of Bishnupur High School, who jointly secured the second position with a stellar score of 694 out of 700 (99.14 per cent). “I couldn’t believe it when the results were announced,” said Soumya. “I had expected a good result, but not a top-three rank.” A disciplined yet flexible learner, he studied 10-12 hours a day, with a particular interest in Physics and Mathematics. Soumya also enjoys music, playing the tabla, and painting and aspires to pursue Computer Science Engineering and research.
Ishani Chakraborty from Kotulpur Saroj Basini Balika Vidyalaya, also in Bankura, clinched the third rank with 693 marks (99 per cent), making her the top-ranked girl in the state. “My exam went well, but I never imagined this result,” she said. “It was my mother who first saw it on television and told me.” Passionate about science and art, Ishani plans to pursue research in physics. She credited her success to her parents and teachers, and added: “I’m proud to represent my school and district.”
The merit list features students from 15 districts, with ten of them in the southern part of the state. East Midnapore and Birbhum followed Bankura with seven students each. East Burdwan and Hooghly had six each, while South 24-Parganas had five. West Midnapore had three, North 24-Parganas two and Kolkata and Nadia one each.
South 24-Parganas’ Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya has continued its tradition of academic excellence. Two of its students made it to the top ten list. Somtirtha Karan, the district’s top performer, secured fifth rank with 691 marks (98.71 per cent), while Pushpak Ratnam bagged the eighth with 688 (98.29 per cent). Also in eighth position is Abantika Roy from Kolkata’s Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Sister Nivedita Girls’ School.
