'Sorry Papa': Another student suicide rocks coaching hub Kota, sixth this year
He didn’t appear in two exams scheduled at his coaching centre, the first on January 29 and the second on February 19, police said
Abhishek Kumar, a student preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in Rajasthan's Kota died by suicide on Friday, taking the total number of such cases to six this year.
Hailing from Bhagalpur in Bihar, Abhishek was found dead in his rented room in Vigyan Nagar area of Kota which is known as the coaching hub for engineering and medical aspirants.
Police sources said Abhishek consumed poison and left a suicide note behind. “Sorry papa, I cannot do JEE,” the suicide note, addressed to his father, read. He didn’t appear in two exams scheduled at his coaching centre, the first on January 29 and the second on February 19, police said. A postmortem will now be conducted following which the body of the student will be handed over to his family, police said.
The latest case has the local authorities worried in Kota which witnessed an alarming rise in suicide cases over the last few months. The city registered 26 suicide cases in 2023, sparking concerns and urgent efforts from the authorities to address the mental health challenges faced by students in the high-pressure academic environment prevailing in coaching centres.
However, the grim reality persists despite the Central government's guidelines and efforts by the district administration to extend counselling facilities and alleviate stress among coaching students.
Thousands of students from across the country land in Kota every year, aspiring for competitive exams like JEE and NEET every year. Their struggle for success is often accompanied by challenges that extend beyond academics.
Earlier, the Kota administration along with stakeholders from the coaching industry initiated a series of initiatives to address the alarming issue of student suicides last year.
(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)