JAIPUR: The month of May has seen a spate of student suicides that have shaken Kota, the coaching capital of India.
Two students have committed suicide in the past week and the coaching city has seen a total of five suicides this month, a clear indication of how serious student suicides situation still remains in Kota.
In the latest case on Saturday, a seventeen-year-old NEET aspirant hanged herself adding to the list of student suicide cases.
Sakshi, who hails from Tonk district in Rajasthan, was undergoing NEET coaching while residing with her uncle in Kota. Her body was discovered hanging from a noose in her room on Saturday morning.
In a suicide note recovered from her room, the teen held no one responsible for the suicide, however, her family members stated that average performance in her class 10 board exams could be the reason behind her extreme step, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Kunhari) Shankar Lal said.
This marks the fifth case of student suicide in the last four weeks.
Earlier, on Wednesday, a 16-year-old NEET examinee named Aryan from Nalanda district Bihar also committed suicide. Aryan had been studying in a coaching institute in Kota for the past year. Following Aryan's tragic death, his mother vehemently declares that she will not send any of her children to study in Kota.
Experts suggest that coaching institutes and hostels can prevent student suicides by remaining vigilant. Unfortunately, negligence is observed on both fronts. The administration has issued strict orders for coaching institutes to contact relatives of students who remain absent for more than two days. Hostel owners are also instructed to take appropriate action upon noticing anything suspicious.
Aryan's relatives have filed a complaint stating that he had not eaten food in the hostel mess for several days. If the hostel management had addressed this issue and alerted them, Aryan might have been saved.
A total of ten students have committed suicide this year so far and these tragic incidents of student suicides in Kota have sparked profound concern regarding the well-being and mental health of young aspirants.
Student suicides in May
27 May - Sakshi, from Tonk district in Rajasthan, was undergoing NEET coaching while residing with her uncle in Kota. He body was discovered hanging from a noose in her room. A suicide note was also found in the room.
May 24: Aryan (16) committed suicide by hanging himself in the Kamla Udyan area under the Kunhadi police station area of Kota.
In the preliminary investigation, letters written to a girl were also found among the student's notes. It was written- 'I LOVE YOU, cannot live without you.'
May 12: Navlesh (17), a resident of Bihar's Patna, committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel. Navlesh was preparing for NEET along with his 12th-standard studies.
The police had also received a suicide note from him, in which it was written – Sorry father, you tried a lot for my studies, but I could not do it. This case was also in the Kunhadi police station area.
11 May -Dhanesh Kumar (15), a resident of the Landmark City area of Kunhadi police station area, committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel. The student was studying in class 11th. Along with preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
May 8: A student committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of a multistorey building in the Vigyan Nagar police station area. Student Nasir (22) was a resident of Bangalore. A day before the suicide, he had come to Jaipur after giving NEET.