‘Sorry papa, can't do JEE’: Student ends life by suicide in Kota, marks 6th such incident this year

A young man in Kota, Rajasthan, identified as Abhishek Kumar, reportedly ended his life on Friday.  Abhishek, who aspired to crack the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), was found deceased in his rented accommodation.  This is the sixth such incident reported in Kota this year, raising concerns about the pressure faced by students pursuing competitive exams.

Regarding the incident, the police reported that a bottle of a toxic substance and a suicide letter were discovered in Kumar's room.

"Sorry papa, I cannot do JEE...," the suicide note read, according to the police.

In addition, the police noted that Kumar had missed two exams scheduled at his coaching on January 29 and February 19. A postmortem will be conducted, and the student's body will be released to his family, according to the police.

Kota has experienced a concerning increase in student suicide cases in recent months, raising concerns among local authorities. On January 23, a student from Uttar Pradesh, who was preparing for NEET through private coaching in Kota, died by suicide.

Kota, renowned for its coaching institutes for engineering and medical entrance examinations, witnessed 29 student suicides in 2023. Authorities are urgently addressing the mental health issues faced by students in the high-pressure academic environment of coaching centers.

Despite the guidelines from the central government and efforts by the district administration to provide counseling facilities and alleviate stress among coaching students, the grim reality persists.

Kota, attracting over two lakh students each year aspiring for competitive exams like JEE and NEET, is a hub for academic aspirations. However, the pursuit of success often comes with challenges that extend beyond academics.

The Kota administration, in collaboration with stakeholders from the coaching industry, implemented various initiatives last year to address the concerning issue of student suicides. One notable step involved the installation of "suicide-proofing" fans in hostel rooms. These devices incorporate spring coils that activate a siren if an object weighing more than 20 kg is hung from them.