Student preparing for NEET found dead in Kota
According to Rajasthan police data, 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
An 18-year-old student preparing for the National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate engineering courses was found dead in his hostel room in Kota on Tuesday, taking the number of such cases to 12 in Rajasthan’s coaching hub this year. Last year, 20 students died by suicide there.
Arvind Singh Bharadwaj, a local police officer, said the 18-year-old was from Bihar’s Chhapra and arrived in Kota a year ago. “On Tuesday morning, he hung himself from the ceiling fan of his hostel room,” said Bharadwaj. He added a note recovered from his hostel room said neither NEET pressure nor his family should be held responsible. Bharadwaj said the rest of the details cannot be shared without his family’s permission. “...it seems to be personal.”
Kota is the hub of India’s test preparation business, estimated to be worth ₹10,000 crore annually. Students from around the country arrive there in numbers after completing class X and register in residential institutes, besides enrolling in schools, largely for certification purposes.
According to police data, 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.
In January 2024, the Union education minister issued instructions for the functioning of coaching centres and restricted the enrolment of students only above 16. It warned of a penalty of ₹1,00,000 for institutes in case of any violation. A bill for regulating coaching centres was tabled in the Rajasthan assembly in March.
Note: Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. But suicides are preventable. Suicide prevention helpline numbers 011-23389090, Sumaitri (Delhi), and 044-24640050 Sneha Foundation (Chennai).
