New Delhi: A student from Nagaon in Assam died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota, on Wednesday morning. His body was discovered at his residence in the Mahaveer Nagar area of the town. The deceased has been identified as Parag. This is the second student suicide reported on Wednesday and the sixth such case in Kota in January. The spike in suicides in the city — a center for coaching aimed at students preparing for competitive university entrance exams — has raised worry about well-being of the aspirants.
Hours before Parag’s suicide, the body of Afsha Sheikh, a young woman from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad who had travelled to Kota to study for the NEET exams, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room in the Jawahar Nagar neighbourhood. The police have ordered a post-mortem examination and her family members have been informed.
4 other students died by suicide this month
Four other students reportedly died by suicide this month. It started with the death of 19-year-old Neeraj, who was making preparation to crack the Indian Institute of Technology’s JEE entrance exam, on January 7. Twenty-four hours later, a second body was found which was of 20-year-old Abhishek, who was another JEE aspirant. On January 16, the body of 18-year-old Abhijeet, who aspired to be a doctor, was found. Just 24 hours after his suicide, 18-year-old Manan Sharma killed himself, four days before his JEE exam.
In 2024, there were 17 reported student suicides in Kota, excluding those by school students. This figure indicates a 38 percent decrease compared to 2023, when 23 suicides were reported.
‘Love affairs’ behind suicides: Education minister
After the fourth suicide last week, Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar reportedly attributed “love affairs” as one possible factors behind the student suicides. He also called on parents to refrain from pressuring their children or wards into choosing degrees and careers they were not keen on.
Every year, between one and two lakh young men and women come to Kota, with high hopes of securing a top rank in a competitive exam which can pave the way for a prosperous career. This has turned the mushrooming coaching centres into a highly profitable industry — which earned over Rs 3,500 crore in revenue last year.
