Another NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Kota

Police said they also recovered a suicide note from the spot that purportedly said “no one is responsible” for his death.

A 17-year-old National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant allegedly died by suicide at Kota in Rajasthan on Thursday, making it the 18th such incident in the district this year and 12th in the past three months alone, police said.

The boy’s family has been informed about the incident, a police officer said, adding that further investigation is underway. (Representational)

According to the police, the student was a native of Uttar Pradesh and arrived in Kota to prepare for the medical entrance examination four months ago. He was staying alone in a hostel at Vigyan Nagar.

“He locked himself in his room after returning from the coaching centre on Wednesday night. However, the caretaker of the hostel along with few others discovered his body today [Thursday] morning by breaking open the door after he did not respond to repeated knocks,” Kota superintendent of police (SP) Sharad Chaudhary said.

“Later, they informed the police and the body was sent to the district medical college hospital for autopsy,” the SP added.

Police said they also recovered a suicide note from the spot that purportedly said “no one is responsible” for his death.

The boy’s family has been informed about the incident, a police officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.

Known as a coaching hub of India, Kota generates an estimated annual revenue of ₹5,000 crore. Students from across the country flock to Kota to enrol in residential coaching institutes. These students primarily attend classes at the test-prep institutes to prepare for their Class 12 exams and crucial entrance examinations like NEET for admission to medical colleges and JEE for admission to IITs.

However, the demanding nature of studies, coupled with being away from families, can lead to significant stress for some students, officials familiar with the development said.

Last month, another 17-year-old NEET aspirant allegedly died by suicide at Jawahar Nagar on July 17, days after another student, preparing for JEE, was found dead on July 8. In June, four such cases were reported in Kota, including two suicides within a span of 10 hours on June 27. Before that, a 17-year-old boy from Bihar died by suicide in Mahaveer Nagar on June 16 after he failed to clear NEET. On June 12, another 17-year-old JEE aspirant was found dead in a suspected case of suicide in Jawahar Nagar, according to police record.

A surge in such cases has prompted the state government to consider a law to regulate private educational institutes – from schools to universities to test-prep specialists – and ease the academic pressure on students, especially those enrolled in private coaching centres or online tutorials.

Additionally, the police department on June 22 also introduced a students’ cell to hold regular interactions with students enrolled in various coaching centres.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).