KOTA: With Kota seeing as many as 21 suicides since January 2023 -- the most recent being on August 14 -- desperate authorities in the country's competitive exams coaching hub have ordered hostels to install a spring device on ceiling fans to stop students from taking their lives.
There have already been six more suicides in 2023 than in the previous year which saw 15 suicides.
Kota District Collector OP Bunkar issued the directions and told all hostel owners to comply or face stern action.
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The anti-suicide spring device will expand if an object weighing more than 20 kilos is hung from the fan stalling any possible attempt. A siren too will go off.
Additionally, a mandatory psychological assessment will be conducted for each student. Should any student exhibit signs of mental vulnerability or negativity, counselling services will be extended, and parents will be duly informed.
Parallelly, Kota SP Sharad Chaudhary released a statement outlining the other measures being planned.
He said that "acknowledging the influx of nearly 2 lakh students to Kota for coaching, the district administration has constituted a monitoring committee. However, recognising the absence of parental representation, a separate committee exclusively comprising parents will be established".
"This platform will facilitate regular interactions and counselling sessions, ensuring parental involvement in safeguarding students' mental well-being," he added.
There are around 3500 student hostels that are operating in Kota.
President of the Kota Hostel Association, Naveen Mittal, lauded the proactive measures adopted by the administration. Mittal emphasized that the recent spate of suicides among students preparing for competitive exams like NEET and JEE had necessitated the action.
He recalled a demonstration of the anti-suicide device presented by a Bengaluru-based company, which was endorsed by the then Deputy Commissioner. Yet, Mittal expressed reservations regarding the implementation of such devices in private accommodations, such as paying guest lodgings, due to the unstructured nature of the sector.
Kota's fame as India's 'coaching capital' is also the reason for its notoriety as a 'suicide city' and the measures taken by administration and institutes to bring down the insane stress of competition, which proves too much to handle for many teenage students, have been inadequate, Even Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently expressed concern over the rising incidence of suicides in Kota.
Tragically, on August 14, Valmiki Jangid, an 18-year-old JEE aspirant, took his own life in the Mahavir Nagar locality of Kota.
Earlier, on August 1, Manjot Singh, a NEET aspirant, purportedly ended his life, with his father raising allegations of foul play. Similarly, on August 5, a 16-year-old student named Bhargav Mishra from Bihar's West Champaran district tragically chose to take his own life.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)