India: Two NEET aspirants die by suicide in Rajasthan's coaching hub Kota on same day

There has been a distressing trend of student suicides in Kota city, a renowned coaching hub in the Indian state of Rajasthan, as two students preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET allegedly died by suicide recently. One of whom was a 17-year-old from the state of Uttar Pradesh. This brings the total number of such cases to four in the month of June alone. Additionally, 15 students have died by suicide in Kota this year, matching the grim tally from the previous year.

The student from Uttar Pradesh had recently arrived in Kota to prepare for the all-India pre-medical entrance test. Tragically, the teenager's lifeless body was discovered by a house help when he went to serve dinner, as per media reports.

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A suicide note was found in one of these cases, details of which are not yet available. Autopsies are being conducted, and investigation iscurrently underway to determine the underlying causes.“The bodies were sent for autopsy...Nobody reported any behavioral changes in them in the last few days. The investigation is underway,"a local police officerDebasish Bharadwaj reportedly said.

Academic pressure and its impact

Kota is estimated to house around 225,000 students who are diligently preparing for medical and engineering entrance exams. The demanding nature of their studies, coupled with the distance from their families, often leads to elevated stress levels. For some students, the pressure becomes overwhelming, and they struggle to cope with the challenges.

Government interventions

The surge in suicides has compelled the state government to consider implementing a law to regulate private educational institutes. The aim is to alleviate the academic burden on students, especially those enrolled in coaching centers.

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In an effort to address the issue, the Rajasthan Police established a cell on June 22 to regularly interact with students at coaching centers.

Past measures

In 2017, following the deaths of 17 students in 2016, the Kota administration implemented mandatory measures such as appointing counsellors, introducing weekly offs and recreation days, and reshuffling test schedules.

Additionally, in the same year, a four-member team from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences was appointed to study the causes of extreme stress and depression among students, leading to suicides. Shockingly, since 2011, over 121 students have died by suicide in Kota.

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Chandrasheel Thakur, the Assistant Police Superintendent of Kota, highlights that there has been a rise in student suicides as the number of students at coaching centres has increased following the Covid-19 pandemic. “If we look at the pattern, the suicides are reported mostly in April, May, and June. Most of the fresh students arrive in the city around that time. Many of them fail to cope. The results of exams also come in the same period...which increases the number of suicides due to failures," he said, as per media reports.

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