E-Paper
16-year-old student found dead in Kota; suicide suspected
Students from around the country arrive in Kota in numbers after completing Class X, and register in residential test-preparation institutes
A 16-year-old student from Bihar’s Nalanda preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (NEET) for admission to undergraduate engineering courses was found dead in Rajasthan’s coaching hub of Kota on Thursday, said police.
Mahendra Maroo, a local police officer, said the student was found hanging from the ceiling fan at his paying guest accommodation. “...friends staying on the same floor knocked on his door several times...with no response. Later, they informed the police and his younger brother who is also preparing for NEET but staying in a separate area in Kota,” said Maroo.
He added police recovered the body of the 16-year-old, who was studying at a coaching centre in Kota for about a year, by breaking open his door. “No suicide note was recovered. The body was sent for an autopsy. His parents were also informed. We will question them about any behavioural changes in him in the last few days.”
Twelve students, including three last month, have died by suicide in Kota this year. Last year, 27 students preparing for competitive examinations killed themselves there.
Kota is the centre of India’s test-preparation business estimated to be worth ₹10,000 crore annually. Students from around the country arrive in Kota in numbers after completing Class X, and register in residential test-preparation institutes. They also enrol in schools, most of which are largely for purposes of certification.
Police said 15 students died by suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015. No suicides were reported in 2020 and 2021 as coaching institutes were shut or ran online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amid a surge in suicides, the authorities in August last year ordered all hostels and paying guest accommodations to install spring-loaded fans in rooms and “to provide students mental support and security”. In September last year, the Rajasthan government announced a series of measures to prevent suicides among students.
