At his coaching centre in Kota, Rajasthan, a 16-year-old student who was preparing for the National Eligibility Completion Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical programmes allegedly committed suicide on Sunday, according to police.
According to police records, Sunday’s suicide is the fifth such incidence in the area this month and the 22nd this year, which is also the highest in eight years, among students studying for competitive exams, notably NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Only in the previous four months were sixteen of the cases recorded.
The teenage student from Maharashtra committed suicide, according to the police, at his tutoring centre in Vigyan Nagar after showing up for a regularly scheduled test in the afternoon.
“No suicide note was found and a preliminary report did not suggest any behavioural changes,” circle officer Dharmaveer Singh said.
“The body has been sent to the district medical college hospital for an autopsy and a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team was sent to the spot for further investigations,”
he added.
Coaching institute did not immediately issue statement
The student was residing with his grandparents in a leased home when he entered the district in 2021, according to authorities. The coaching institute did not immediately issue a statement regarding the incident.
In the meantime, the news agency ANI reported on Sunday that a girl taking the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination allegedly committed herself on Saturday in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district.
“A girl died by suicide yesterday. She had been living in a girls’ hostel along with other girls since June and was taking online classes for IAS preparation…We have found a note and we are examining it. We have sent the body for post-mortem and have registered a morgue based on a report given by her father… Further investigating the case is underway,” Vedpal Singh, circle inspector, Hanumangarh told ANI.
According to district administration officials, Kota is the hub of India’s test preparation industry, which is worth an estimated 5,000 crore each year. After completing Class X, a large number of students from around the nation come here and enrol in residential test-prep schools. They enrol in schools as well, the majority of which are primarily for certification purposes.
Students only attend courses at test-prep institutions, where instructors prepare them not just for the Class XII examination but also for entrance exams like the NEET and JEE. Being apart from their families contributes to the stress that some students experience from the grind.
Another incident
On August 15, an 18-year-old Bihar student who was enrolled in engineering courses and preparing for the JEE allegedly committed suicide in his paying guest (PG) lodging in the district’s Mahaveer Nagar neighbourhood.
A 17-year-old JEE aspirant from Bihar committed suicide on August 11 in a hostel in Mahaveer Nagar. Another 17-year-old Bihar engineering student committed suicide on August 4 in Mahaveer Nagar. A NEET applicant from Uttar Pradesh committed suicide in Vigyan Nagar the day before, on August 3.
fifteen children committed suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015, according to police statistics. There were no suicides in 2020 or 2021.
Student cell
A students’ cell was established by the state police department on June 22. It consists of a second superintendent of police, three inspectors, sub-inspectors, or assistant sub-inspectors, and six constables, including female officers. Its purpose is to hold regular interactions and monitor students at coaching centres.
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