Kota: 2 Students Die By Suicide Within 24 Hours (image @Pixabay)
Kota, Rajasthan: Two students studying in Kota coaching centre committed suicide. A 20-year-old student studying to crack the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), or the engineering entrance test, died by suicide in his room on Wednesday. His death follows the suicide case of another JEE aspirant, a 19-year-old who was found hanging in his hostel room the previous evening.
Abhishek Lodha, 20, from Madhya Pradesh left a note stating that he felt he would not be able to clear the JEE, which is mandatory to get into the country’s top engineering colleges. “I’m unable to study. I am preparing for the JEE exams, but it’s beyond me. Sorry,” the note read. He moved to Kota last May to prepare for JEE.
Speaking to media, his elder brother said Lodha was good in studies and had himself insisted on coming to Kota for coaching. His uncle, who came to Kota to collect his body, said they spoke to him every day but he never expressed any stress about studies, as per media report.
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“He always said everything was good and going well. ‘I am busy with preparations’ is what he told us. The last time we spoke to him was the evening before the incident,” said his uncle, as quoted by NDTV.
“It appears to be stress. We will write to the administration to take action against the PG accommodation as the room where the student died did not have an anti-hanging device in the fan,” said Mukesh Meena, Vigyan Nagar police station in-charge.
Not even a day before, Neeraj from Haryana’s Mahendragarh was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room, despite anti-hanging device installed in the fan.
His father Babloo Prajapat said he had spoken to his son earlier in the afternoon and that Neeraj was planning to come home by the evening train. Neeraj’s younger brother is also in Kota preparing for the NEET, or the medical entrance exam. Calling for a fair investigation into the case, Prajapat has questioned how his son died by hanging despite an anti-hanging device installed in the fan.
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Rajasthan’s Kota is the coaching capital of the country. Students from different states come to Kota to prepare for competitive entrance exam. The rate of suicide is increasing each year, posing a challenge to the counsellors as well as district administration. Reportedly, last year, the number of suicides in Kota had come down by 38% to 17 as compared to 24 in 2023.
(With inputs from agencies)
(This news story may contain content related to suicide and suicidal behaviour. Such topics can be sensitive and may trigger emotional responses. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or behaviours, we urge you to seek help immediately. Contact your local mental health crisis hotline, a mental health professional, or a trusted person in your life.
You may call 14416 or 1-8008914416 for the Tele MANAS service, a comprehensive mental health care service by the Government of India.)
