Kota: 2 NEET aspirants allegedly die by suicide

A 17-year-old Uttar Pradesh student was discovered dead at a rented accommodation in Kota late on Tuesday, hours after another student was suspected of committing suicide, bringing the total number of such cases in Rajasthan’s coaching hub to four this month.

According to police, the student from Uttar Pradesh arrived in Kota a month ago to prepare for the all-India pre-medical entrance exam. When a housekeeper went to serve the teenager dinner, he discovered his body. So far this year, fifteen students have committed suicide in Kota. In Kota in 2022, the same number of students died.

According to Debasish Bharadwaj, a local police officer, they did not find any notes in the first case but did find one in the second. “The bodies were autopsied… Nobody reported any changes in their behavior in the last few days. The investigation is currently underway.”

In Kota, it is estimated that 225000 students are preparing for medical and engineering entrance exams. Some people find the grind stressful, primarily because they are separated from their families.

A spike in suicides has prompted the state government to consider enacting legislation to regulate private educational institutes in order to alleviate academic pressure on students, particularly those enrolled in coaching centers.

To address the issue, the Rajasthan Police established a cell for regular interactions with students at coaching centers on June 22.

According to the state home department, 52 students committed suicide between 2019 and 2022, citing “lack of confidence in students if they score fewer marks” as one of the causes.

Following the deaths of 17 students in 2016, the Kota administration made the appointment of counsellors, weekly offs, recreation days, and rescheduled test schedules mandatory in 2017.