Another NEET student dies by suicide in Kota, 6th in 2024

A 20-year-old student, who was preparing for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for admission in undergraduate medical courses, died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota district on Tuesday making it the sixth such incident in the coaching hub this year, the police said.
Last year, 27 students preparing for various competitive examinations died by suicide in the district.
Providing details about Tuesday’s incident, Satish Chand, the station house officer of Kota’s Vigyan Nagar, said the student from Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj hung himself from the ceiling fan at his rented apartment the area.
“The incident came to the fore when he did not respond to his parents’ calls in the morning, following which they called his friends staying in Jawahar Nagar area. His friends later reached his apartment, called the landlord and the security guard, and discovered his body after breaking open the door,” the SHO said.
The deceased was studying in Kota for the past one year and had moved to the apartment just a few days ago. No suicide note was recovered from his room, the police said, adding that his parents have been informed about his death.
“The body has been sent for an autopsy. We are probing whether there were any behavioural changes in him,” Chand said.
Kota is the hub of India’s test-prep business, estimated to be worth ₹10,000 crore annually, according to officials in the district administration. Students from around the country go there in huge numbers after completing their Class X and register for residential test-prep institutes. They also enroll in schools, most of which are largely for certifications.
Students attend classes only in the test-prep institutes, which prepare them for their Class XII examination, but more importantly, entrance examinations such as NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Some students find the grind stressful, especially because they are away from their families.
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 functioned online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A 16-year-old Bihar-based JEE student also died by suicide on March 8, while a 16-year-old Chhattisgarh JEE aspirant hung himself in his Jawahar Nagar hostel on February 13. Another Uttar Pradesh-based 19-year-old NEET student died by suicide on January 23 in Jawahar Nagar, while an 18-year-old JEE student based in Kota also killed self on January 29 leaving a note, apologising to parents for being a “loser”.
A 16-year-old Madhya Pradesh-based JEE aspirant who went missing for over 10 days was also found dead in Chambal forest area of Kota on February 19.
Also Read:18-year-old girl student, preparing for JEE, dies by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota
On September 28, the Rajasthan government announced a series of measures to prevent suicides among students, such as a mandatory screening test, the alphabetical sorting of students into sections instead of a ranking-based one, and the admission of students who are in Class IX or higher.
The guidelines also recommended mandatory training for teachers, institute managers, other staff, and the wardens of the hostels and paying guest accommodations to enable them to assess behavioural changes of students and take further preventive measures.
The government warned of legal action against faculty of coaching institutes if they violated any of the regulations.
On January 16, the Union education minister also released specific instructions for the functioning of coaching centres and restricted enrollment above the age of 16. It warned of a penalty of ₹1,00,000 for institutes in case of any violation of the terms and conditions.
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