Kota rocked by student deaths: 16-year-old JEE aspirant found dead, mental stress under lens | Gravitas

Six months, a 16-year-old hailing from Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri was full of dreams as he moved to Kota. He was preparing for the joint entrance examination, the gateway for securing admission to IITs. However, in a tragic turn of events, he was reportedly found hanging at his accommodation.

According to the police, students noticed his absence when he did not join them for dinner.

While his death remains under probe, his family alleged that his coaching institute failed to inform them when he skipped an exam.

This indicates that he was possibly suffering from mental stress.

In another shocking incident, a 19-year-old NEET aspirant from Bihar's Darbhanga, who was living in Kota for the last two years, was found unconscious in the bathroom of his hostel room.

While he was rushed to the hospital, he died during treatment.

However, the family of the student has accused the hostel authorities of negligence, alleging that his life could have been saved if he had been taken to the hospital in time.

Now, Kota, which is known as the country's coaching capital, has been rocked by at least eight student suicides this year alone.

In February, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide after reportedly consuming a toxic substance.

Two months later, a 20-year-old female nursing student and a 21-year-old BSc student ended their lives in separate incidents.

In June, another JEE aspirant died after jumping from the Kota-Jhalawar flyover.

This is not all.

In August, a 20-year-old NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh ended her life at her rented apartment after being reportedly distressed over her performance in the NEET exam.

Now, instead of addressing the root cause of the stress faced by students, which is compelling them to take such an extreme step, some institutions are merely taking cosmetic measures.

For instance, the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University is installing so-called “anti-suicide” ceiling fans in its hostels.

They come with a special spring mechanism designed to detach under excessive weight and cut off power supply.

This raises some key questions.

With students accounting for nearly 8.5% of the overall suicides reported in India, why are educational institutions not doing enough to address their mental well-being?

What is the government's plan of action to ensure that stress for competitive exams doesn't upend a student's life?

Clearly, our students deserve better.