In 2024, the number of reported student suicides stood at 17 (excluding school students) from Kota.
Jaipur: Merely hours after a woman from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad died by suicide in her hostel room, a student hailing from Assam’s Nagaon died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota on Wednesday morning. Identified as Parag, his body was recovered from his home in the Mahaveer Nagar area. This is the sixth case of student suicide so far.
The Gujarat woman, identified as Afsha Sheikh, had reportedly travelled to Kota to prepare for the NEET exams. She was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room in Jawahar Nagar.
The police said that her family has been informed and a post-mortem report has been ordered.
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Adding the two deaths, January has recorded a total of six student deaths. The first death this year was that of 19-year-old Neeraj, who was studying for the JEE exam in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) on January 7.
Hours later, 20-year-old Abhishek Lodha was found dead, leaving behind a suicide note which said, “I’m unable to study. I am preparing for the JEE exams, but it’s beyond me. Sorry.” The JEE aspirant belonged to Madhya Pradesh’s Guna.
On January 17, Abhijeet Giri, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Orissa’s Mayurbhanj, was found hanging in his hostel room. A day later, Manan Sharma, a class 12 student, died by suicide at his grandfather’s place in the Jawahar Nagar station. He had been studying in Kota for three years.
The increasing number of student suicides in Kota has once again raised concerns. Kota is known for being a ‘hub’ of students studying to crack competitive university exams. The coaching hub has also become synonymous with student suicides.
In 2024, the number of reported student suicides stood at 17 (excluding school students) from Kota. In 2023, the number of reported student deaths was 23.
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Meanwhile, Rajasthan Education minister Madan Dilawar claim that “love affairs” was one of the reasons why students were killing themselves.
Despite a dip in the number of students joining Kota, coaching centres have made over Rs 35,000 crore in revenue. To prevent student suicides, measures such as sensitivity training for hostel wardens, suicide helplines have been instituted and were also credited to have reduced the number of deaths.
(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.)
