Despite drastic measures taken by hostel owners and Rajasthan authorities to make buildings "suicide-proof"—including the installation of "anti-suicide nets" in balconies and spring-loaded fans in rooms—Rajasthan's Kota saw another suicide on Sunday involving a 16-year-old National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) applicant.
The event on Sunday adds to the rising incidence of student deaths at Kota's numerous educational institutions. According to police reports, this is the fifth occurrence of its kind involving students in Kota who were attempting to pass competitive tests, primarily the NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
In Kota, at least 20 students who were studying for competitive examinations have died by suicide so far in 2023, up from 15 the previous year, according to a PTI report. According to the research, over two lakh students relocate to Kota each year to study for competitive tests like the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical school admission and the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering.
According to a Hindustan Times article, the teenager was from Maharashtra. He took his own life at his Vigyan Nagar coaching facility after showing up for a regularly scheduled test in the afternoon. The teenager was residing with his grandparents in a leased home when he entered the district in 2021, according to authorities.
In the meantime, a girl in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, who was studying for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam allegedly committed suicide on Saturday.
Gehlot said earlier, citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on student suicides “According to NCRB, around 13,000 students died by suicide in 2021. Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of suicides with 1,834 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,308), Tamil Nadu (1,246), Karnataka (855), and Odisha (834). The problem can be solved with a collective effort."
The Rajasthan government is on high alert to prevent similar tragedies in light of the rising number of student suicide deaths.
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