Kota coaching institute booked for allegedly harassing teen to death

The police have booked a Kota coaching centre for abetting the suicide of a NEET aspirant who reportedly died from poison ingestion in the city. The girl's father had accused the institute of harassment, officials reported.

Priyam Singh, a 16-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh's Mau district, died on Monday after allegedly after consuming pesticide in this coaching hub, police said.

Priyam's father Suryaprakash Singh, who reached Kota on Tuesday (September 19) to claim the body after post-mortem, held the coaching institute responsible for mounting pressure for studies on his daughter and lodged a complaint against it, they added.

Based on the complaint, a case of abetment to suicide under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code has been lodged against the institute, located in Vigyan Nagar, DSP Dharmveer Singh said.

All angles being investigated

Asked about purported WhatsApp messages which have surfaced suggesting a love affair was the cause of the suspected suicide, the DSP said the police have not seen any such messages, adding that all angles are being investigated.

Speaking to reporters outside the mortuary, Suryaprakash said the teachers at the institute "harassed" his daughter and "mounted pressure saying she was lagging in studies and would fail".

The father also alleged that the staff of the coaching institute followed him to his hotel room in Kota and threatened him on the phone not to approach the Kota administration, the police said.

Suryaprakash has provided the phone number from which he received the call to the district administration and the police, they added.

Priyam was a Class 12 student preparing for NEET-UG at the coaching institute in Vigyan Nagar for one-and-a-half years. She shifted to a flat on Road number 1 in Vigyan Nagar this June, the DSP said.

Consumed pesticide

Kota City ASP Bhagwat Singh Hingad said the girl was spotted vomiting outside the coaching institute, from where other students and staff rushed her to a hospital, where she succumbed to death during treatment on Monday evening.

No suicide note was recovered from the girl's room and an investigation is underway into the allegation by her parents against the institute and how the girl obtained the pesticide, the ASP added.

The body was handed over to the girl's family members on Tuesday noon after a post-mortem, the DSP said.

(With agency inputs)

Suicide helpline numbers:

(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.)