Kota suicide case: In yet another such incident, a student died by suicide in Rajasthan's Kota on Tuesday night, January 23. The student was identified as 18-year-old Mohammad Zaidi, a native of Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district.
It is learnt that Zaidi, enrolled in a local coaching centre, was an engineering aspirant who lived in a private hostel. The recent incident marks the first instance of a student suicide in Kota this year. Notably, last year in 2023, a total of 29 students took their lives in Kota. Taking the cumulative data from last year, a total of 30 students have died by suicide in the city -- a hub for medical and engineering aspirants.
Post-mortem yet to be conducted
As per the information, the police control room was alerted at 11:00 pm on Tuesday regarding the incident. Subsequently, officials promptly arrived at the location, where they successfully retrieved the body from the noose and transferred it to the mortuary. Family members have been notified, and the post-mortem examination of the student's body will be conducted only upon their arrival, they said.
Govt released draft guidelines on suicide prevention
Earlier in October 2023, the Union Ministry of Education had released the draft guidelines for the schools to prevent suicide among students. Setting up wellness teams, identifying students exhibiting warning signs and those at risk of self-harm and supporting them are among the draft guidelines.
With "Every Child Matters" as the underlying belief in developing the guidelines, the draft details directions to schools for enhancing sensitivity and understanding and providing support in case of reported self-harm.
In addition, the guidelines also emphasised nurturing partnerships between schools, parents and the community, fostering societal support as a critical strategy for preventing suicides and reducing the stigma associated with suicidal behaviour.
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