Two more students died by suicide on Sunday in Rajasthan's Kota --the hub of country's aspiring engineers, doctors and civil servants. At least 22 students who were preparing for competitive exams died by suicide so far in 2023 in Kota.
Authorities in Kota, Rajasthan have ordered coaching centres to stop regularly testing students who are preparing for the NEET and other competitive examinations for the next two months. Kota District Collector OP Bunkar has issued an order that now students will be given relaxation on Sundays. This action was taken in response to cases of suicides by students in recent weeks.
Every year, more than two lakh students relocate to Kota to study for competitive tests like the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical school entrance and the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering. According to authorities, 22 students preparing for competitive exams in the district have ended their lives so far in 2023 -- the highest for any year.
On Sunday, approximately 15 minutes after taking a test, Avishkar Shambaji Kasle (17), jumped from the sixth floor of his coaching institute’s building in Jawahar Nagar at around 3.15 pm. Kasle died on the route to the hospital despite the institution staff's best efforts, according to Vigyan Nagar Circle Officer (CO) Dharmveer Singh.
In the vicinity of the Kunhadi police station, at approximately 7 p.m., 18-year-old Adarsh Raj, who was also studying for the competitive test, hung himself. When the teen’s sister and cousin brother reached the flat around 7.30, they broke open his room, which was locked from the inside, and found Raj hanging from the ceiling.
Circle Officer (Kunhadi) KS Rathore said Raj was reportedly breathing when he was taken down but succumbed on the way to the hospital, he said.
Growing Taliban restrictions: Afghan women now prohibited from visiting popular national park
According to district administration authorities, Kota is the epicentre of India's test preparation industry, which is worth an estimated Rs 5,000 crore each year. After finishing Class X, a large number of students from around the nation come here and enrol in residential test-prep schools.
Students exclusively attend courses at test-prep institutions, where instructors prepare students not just for the Class XII examination but also for admission exams like the NEET and JEE. Being apart from their family contributes to the stress that some students experience from the grind.
Meanwhile, according to police data, 15 students died by suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015. No suicide took place in 2020 and 2021.
France to soon ban wearing of abayas by Muslim women in schools
