20-year-old NEET aspirant commits suicide in Kota; 8th incident of the year

In another suicide case in Rajasthan's Kota, a 20-year-old student took his own life in a hostel room taking the death tally to 8 this year. No suicide note was found at the scene

A 20-year-old student preparing for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) committed suicide in Rajasthan's Kota district on Sunday, police said. The number of suicide cases in Kota has reached eight this year.

According to local authorities, the student hails from Rohtak, Haryana. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room when repeated attempts by his parents and hostel staff to reach him went unanswered. 

However, the police confirmed that no suicide note was found from the scene and the parents of the deceased have been informed about the incident. The student relocated to the hostel last year and had been attending a coaching centre in Kota for more than a year.

Such incidents are very common in Kota which is a hub of aspiring students who want to crack various competitive examinations. Last year, a total of 27 students committed suicide in the district highlighting a deep-seated issue demanding urgent attention.

The district administration is also addressing the issue and has taken several initiatives like the installation of spring-loaded fans in the hostels, and paying guest accommodations, but the situation remains the same. Concerned authorities are now probing the violations of these guidelines by the hostel where the recent incident took place.

Kota student suicides in the past years

The police data reveals concerning trends of student suicide cases in Kota over the past years: there were 15 cases in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, 7 cases in 2017, and 17 and 18 cases in 2016 and 2015, respectively. Notably, there were no suicides reported in 2020 and 2021 which might be due to the closure or online operation of institutes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per reports, the coaching industry in Kota is estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore annually. Students from across the country come to prepare for exams like NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

What actions government take to prevent suicide cases?

According to the Hindustan Times, the Rajasthan government announced a series of actions to prevent suicide cases among students which include mandatory screening tests, alphabetical sorting of students into sections rather than ranking-based ones and the admission of students who are in class 11th or higher.

The guidelines recommend mandatory training for teachers, institute managers, other staff, and the wardens of the hostels and paying accommodations to enable them to assess the behavioural changes of students and take further preventive measures.

The state government also warned of legal actions against faculty of coaching institutes in case of violation of any regulations.