Two students die by suicide in Kota; this year’s count of 23 highest in last 8 years

“It appears he went to his coaching institute to appear for a test. After the test, he jumped off the sixth floor of the institute,” said Devesh Bhardwaj, SHO of Kota’s Vigyan Nagar police station.

Later in the evening, an 18-year-old student from Bihar, also preparing for the medical entrance, was found hanging in his hostel room.

“The student was living with his sister and cousin, who are also coaching students in Kota. He was preparing for NEET,” said an official from Kota’s Kunadi police station.

Thousands of students enroll at coaching centres in Kota every year to prepare for competitive exams.

According to Kota Police data, 17 students had died by suicide in 2015. The figures since then are 16 in 2016, seven in 2017, 20 in 2018 and eight in 2019. The pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 saw a fall in suicides — four and none, respectively — as students left the city amid the lockdowns. In 2022, the figure was back up to 15.

But by just August this year, student suicides cases have far outstripped last year’s number even as the the district administration scrambles to introduce measures to stop the deaths — with little effect.

Earlier this month, the administration made it compulsory for hostels to install spring-loaded fans to stop students from hanging themselves. It has also introduced measures such as counselling and biometric attendance in coaching centres to keep tabs on students.