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(Representative Image) In a distressing incident, a 16-year-old student from Jharkhand, who was preparing for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) died by suicide by hanging herself in Rajasthan's Kota on Tuesday.
This is the 25th case of suicide in coaching hub Kota in just eight months this year.
The 16-year-old girl from Ranchi hanged herself in her hostel room and the body has been kept in the mortuary, according to a report in India Today.
According to reports, no suicide note was recovered from her room and the police are investigating the reason behind the suicide.
Kota student suicide cases
More than two lakh students flock to Kota, a coaching hub, annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to engineering institutes and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical colleges.
About 25 students have died this year, the highest so far in any year.
The figure was 15 in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015, as per Rajasthan police data. No student suicide was reported in Kota in 2020 and 2021 for the coaching institutes were shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response to the mounting student suicides reportedly caused, in part, by mental health issues, the Kota district administration had issued an order mandating the installation of spring-loaded fans in all hostel rooms and paying guest accommodations in the city.
Kota district collector OP Bunkar issued the order which aims to “provide mental support and security to the students studying and living in these accommodations, and to prevent suicides from increasing coaching students”.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan High Court asked for recommendations on averting suicides by students in coaching institutes of the state, particularly in Kota.
(With inputs from Chetan Gurjar)
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