KOTA, RAJASTHAN – In yet another case of unfortunate tragedy, a 16-year-old student preparing for the JEE examinations was found dead in his hostel room in Kota, Rajasthan, marking the city’s twentieth student suicide case this year. The young aspirant hailed from Bihar and had taken to Kota in April – residing at a hostel in the Vigyan Nagar area.
As per local police, the student was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room on Friday evening. The hostel warden reported the authorities after not being able to get a reply from the student. Police officials confirmed no suicide note was left behind but are continuing investigations to ascertain the circumstances of this sad event.
JEE Aspirant Dies by Suicide in Kota Coaching
It was alleged that the student was subjected to tremendous pressures arising out of the highly competitive nature of an examination for getting admission into the best engineering colleges in India, namely the JEE. The cluster of suicides in Kota this year once again raises questions regarding the mental health crisis facing coaching students in the city-known for its coaching institutes toward preparing students for competitive examinations like JEE and NEET.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Lokendra Palliwal, “In the previous year, 27 students preparing for various competitive examinations committed suicide in Rajasthan. The latest instance indicates the pressing requirement of mental health support systems for students.” The police have set out to conduct a thorough inquiry, looking into the academic standing of the student in question and any other potential stressors.
Following this instance, various student welfare groups took to social media outrageously demanding immediate measures be directed towards educational institutions and the government regarding the psychological stress faced by students. X posts highlighted the need for a revamping of counseling services, relaxation of coaching institute pressures, and humane treatment in the education of children.
Therefore, to ensure that such a tragedy is not repeated, the state has taken steps such as psychological screening of students, installation of anti-suicide gadgets in hostels, and awareness on mental health. The count of suicides seems to indicate that either these are insufficient or are not working enough.
The family had information regarding the concerned student, and the body, after postmortem, would be handed over to them. This heart-wrenching incident will only add to the academic pressure list in Kota and will strengthen the prerogative of every stakeholder to take a fresh look at promoting mental health to young aspirants.
For now, the community is grieving for yet another promising young life lost, as it splits over who should take the blunt of what is evidently wrong and prays that this incident will bring about sincere changes in the education system.
