A 17-year-old student preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in Kota was found dead in his hostel room, marking the fifteenth suspected suicide of a student at this coaching hub this year, according to police.
The student, from Rampur district in Uttar Pradesh, had been in Kota for over two months to prepare for the JEE at a coaching institute. He had been absent from classes for 3-4 days before his body was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan by a friend on Saturday morning. The police had to break into his locked room to recover the body.
The police are investigating the student’s background and performance at the coaching institute to understand his situation. The reason for his alleged suicide is still unknown, and no suicide note was found in his room. His body is being kept in a mortuary until his family members arrive for a post-mortem.
This incident marks the fifteenth suspected suicide by a coaching student in Kota this year. Last year, at least 15 coaching students died by suicide. Despite efforts by government and non-government agencies, the repeated suicides have raised concerns among stakeholders and parents.
DSP Shankar Lal, part of the students’ help desk, stated that the stressful preparation for entrance exams, high parental expectations, and unwanted distractions are common reasons behind the suicides by coaching students in Kota.
