NEET aspirant goes missing from Kota day after taking exam
In his last message to his father around 12pm on Monday, the 19-year-old student said that he was going away for five years
A 19-year-old student went missing from Rajasthan’s Kota a day after taking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses on Sunday.
Zakir Hussain, a local police officer, said the student, who is from Rajasthan’s Gangapur, arrived in Kota a year ago. “After taking the NEET on Sunday, he spent the night at his aunt’s place in Kota. While leaving on Monday morning, he told his aunt that he would directly go to the station and take a train to his village. He went missing after,” said Hussain.
In his last message to his father around 12pm on Monday, the student said that he was going away for five years. “I do not want to study anymore. I have ₹8000 and am leaving for five years. I will also sell my phone and destroy the SIM card. Please tell mom not to worry. I will not take any drastic steps. I have everyone’s number. If I need anything, I will call you,” he wrote. The student’s father lodged a missing report on Monday.
Hussain said the student has not been traced so far. “ We are checking the CCTV footage of the local areas and railway station. Further investigation is underway.”
The coaching hub of Kota has recorded nine student suicide cases this year. Last year, 27 students, preparing for competitive examinations, died by suicide in Kota, the centre of India’s test-prep business estimated to be worth ₹10,000 crore annually.
On March 28, a 20-year-old NEET aspirant from Lucknow was found dead at her paying guest accommodation, a day after the death of another student.
According to police, 15 students died by suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015. No suicides were reported in 2020 and 2021 as coaching institutes were shut or ran in online mode due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
