A 16-year-old student preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) reportedly took his own life in Mahaveer Nagar, Kota, Rajasthan on Friday night, marking the second instance of a similar incident in the past two days. This unfortunate event has contributed to a total of nineteen such cases in the coaching hub of Rajasthan this year, with thirteen of them occurring in just the last three months.
According to the local police, the student hailed from Bihar and had arrived in Kota in April to prepare for the engineering entrance exams. He was residing in a paying guest accommodation with four other students.
The discovery of his body hanging from the ceiling fan was made by his landlord, who had been prompted to check on him by the student’s father due to unanswered phone calls. The police were notified, and the body was sent for autopsy. Although no suicide note was found at the scene and there were no apparent behavioral changes leading up to the incident, further investigation will be conducted once the family arrives in the city.
In a separate incident, the family of a 17-year-old aspiring National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) candidate, who was found dead in his hostel room, has raised allegations of foul play. They have filed a case against the hostel owner, four staff members, and a fellow hostel-mate from their son’s school in Uttar Pradesh. The police, however, have mentioned that there is no evidence to support the claim of murder.
Kota, known as a hub for India’s competitive exam preparation industry, generates a significant annual revenue of ₹5,000 crore. Students from various parts of the country come to Kota after their 10th grade to join residential test-prep institutes and schools. The intense academic pressure and being away from their families can lead to substantial stress for some students.
The increase in suicide cases has prompted the Rajasthan government to consider implementing a law to regulate private educational institutions, including coaching centers and online tutorials, in an effort to alleviate the academic burden on students.
Furthermore, the state police department has introduced a students’ cell aimed at regular interactions and monitoring of students in coaching centers to provide support and prevent such tragic incidents.
In response to a query by Congress MLA Panachand Meghawal, the state home department revealed that between 2019 and 2022, 52 students died by suicide, attributing these extreme actions to factors such as lack of confidence in academic performance, high parental expectations, and study-related stress.
Also Read: President KCCI calls on Lt Governor
