Kota suicides: A 16-year-old coaching student preparing for NEET committed suicide by hanging herself. A resident of Ranchi Jharkhand was preparing for NEET. The year 2023 has seen the highest number of student suicides — 23 so far — with the 16-year-old killing herself on Wednesday (September 13). Last year, the figure was 15.
Body has been kept in mortuary and police is investigationg the matter. Further details are awaited.
On August 27, Raj (18), a native of Rohtas in Bihar, and a 17-year-old, a native of Ahmed Nagar in Latur district in Maharashtra died by suicide. The 17-year-old jumped to death from the sixth floor of his coaching institute's building in Jawahar Nagar at around 3.15 pm, minutes after walking out of a room on the third floor of the institute after taking a test, police said. Nearly four hours after his death, Raj, who was also preparing for the competitive exam, hanged himself in his rented flat under the Kunhadi police station limits at around 7 pm.
Over 2.5 lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges. A packed schedule, cut-throat competition, constant pressure to do better, the burden of parents' expectations and homesickness are the common struggles of the students in the coaching city.