Kota: Tests, coaching exams stayed for two months after two NEET aspirants commit suicide within 4 hours

Kota administration on Sunday issued directions staying tests and examinations of students preparing for National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) and other competitive exams at coaching centres for two months with immediate effect. The district administration said in an official release that the step has been taken to “provide mental support and security to the studying/residential students”.  

“In order to provide mental support and security to the studying/residential students, the examinations, being conducted from time to time, in all coaching institutes operating in Kota, have been stayed with immediate effect for the next two months,” an official release read. The development comes after two students ended their lives on Sunday in a span of four hours.  

A NEET aspirant on Sunday allegedly died by committing suicide, making it the 24th student suicide in Kota so far. The aspirant, identified as 16-year-old Aavishkar Sambhaji Kasle from Maharashtra’s Latur, jumpd off the sixth floor of a coaching institute, according to the local police. The institute’s staff rushed Kasle to a hospital but he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed at the premises.  

“He was 16 years old and was preparing for NEET. He was a student of class 12 and was living with his materal grandparents. He jumped off the sixth floor (of his coaching institute). We have sent his body for post-mortem,” Kota Deputy Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharmveer Singh was quoted as saying by ANI. The police further said that the student killed himself after appearing for a scheduled weekly test.  

Singh added that the student took the extreme step barely five minutes after getting out of the examination hall. Avishkar was preparing for NEET-UG for three years and was living in a rented room in Kota’s Talwandi area with his maternal grandparents. His parents are government school teachers in Maharashtra.  

Hours later, an 18-year-old student hanged himself in his rented flat in the Kunhadi police station area at around 7 pm. The student, identified as Adarsh Raj from Bihar, was also preparing for NEET. He was reportedly breathing when he was taken down but died on the way to the hospital. Adarsh used to stay with his cousins.  

No suicide notes have been recovered from the rooms of both the students. Further investigations are underway and the students’ bodies will be sent for postmortem today. The reason behind the two deaths on Sunday is reportedly that aspirants were apparently under pressure for scoring low marks in routine tests conducted by coaching centres, according to a PTI report.

Kota student suicides so far

Over two lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges. According to authorities, 24 students preparing for competitive exams in the district have ended their lives so far in 2023 -- the highest for any year. Last year, the figure was 15. 

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