NEET candidate dies by suicide in Kota; 13th incident in 6 months

Seven of the 13 suicides, mainly by NEET and JEE aspirants, took place in May alone. Two cases were reported this month, according to the Kota Police.

 A 21-year-old student, who failed to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), allegedly died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota on Thursday, police said on Friday, taking the total number of such instances in the district to 13 this year.

No suicide note was found in the house and the student’s body was handed over to the family after an autopsy. (Representative Image)

Seven of the 13 suicides, mainly by NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) aspirants, took place in May alone. Two cases were reported this month, according to the district police.

This year, the NEET exam for admission in undergraduate medical courses was held on May 7 and the results were declared on Tuesday.

According to Paramjeet Singh, sub-inspector (SI) at Mahaveer Nagar police station, the student, a resident of Bihar’s Samastipur, was found dead at his rented accommodation in Mahaveer Nagar.

“The student was preparing for NEET exam since last year. He had failed to clear the exam. Yesterday, he died by suicide,” Singh said.

District superintendent of police (DSP) Harsh Raj Kheda said the deceased’s brother (19) also studies in Kota, but stays in a different accommodation. “After the student’s family failed to get in touch with him, they sent his brother to the house around 7pm. When the student did not respond to knocks, his brother broke open the door and found his body,” Kheda said.

No suicide note was found in the house and the student’s body was handed over to the family after an autopsy, police said. A case has been registered and a probe is underway, they added.

Kota is the centre of India’s test-prep business, estimated to be worth ₹5,000 crore annually, according to officials in the district administration. Students from around the country arrive here in huge numbers after completing Class X, and register in residential test-prep institutes. They also enroll in schools, most of which are largely for purposes of certification.

Students attend classes only in the test-prep institutes, which prepare them for their Class XII examination, but more importantly, entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE. Some students find the grind stressful, especially because they are away from their families.

Thursday’s suicide is the second such instance in the district this week. On Monday, a JEE aspirant allegedly died by suicide at his hostel in Jawahar Nagar area.

On May 27, a 16-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide at his hostel in Kota. On May 11, a 15-year-old aspirant from Uttar Pradesh also took the extreme step in his hostel room.

According to Kota police, 15 students died by suicide in the district last year. Government data showed that at least 121 such cases have been recorded since 2011.

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 state police department has decided to set up a students’ cell, comprising an additional superintendent of police, three inspectors or sub-inspectors or assistant sub-inspectors and six constables, including female cops, who will hold regular interactions and keep a check on students across coaching centres.

In response to a query by Congress MLA Panachand Meghawal, the state home department in February said 52 students committed suicide between 2019 and 2022. The department believes that the reason behind taking such an extreme step is “lack of confidence in students if they score less marks”. Other factors are “high expectations of the parents; physical and mental, and study related stress”, it said.

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).