JEE aspirant from Bihar dies by suicide in Kota; sixth incident in 2024

Kota has been in news for rising cases of students' suicides due to stress and other factors. In 2023, as many as 26 aspirants had died by suicide in the city while preparing for competitive exams

A Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) aspirant, hailing from Bihar's Bhagalpur, died by suicide in Rajasthan's Kota on Friday. A suspected suicide note was also recovered from the room of the student, identified as Abhishek Kumar, which suggested that he was reeling from stress over studies, India Today reported.

"Sorry papa, I cannot do JEE...," the recovered suicide note read.

The police have also found a bottle of poisonous substance in Kumar's room, which is believed to be the cause of death. He lived in a rented room in the Vigyan Nagar area of Kota.

Kota in spotlight over suicides 

The city is known for being a popular coaching hub, where about 200,000 students throng every year to prepare for competitive exams to enter India's prestigious graduate-level engineering and medical colleges.

Notably, it has been in the major spotlight since last year after as many as 26 aspirants took their lives while preparing for the exams due to stress and other reasons. While it has hardly been two months into 2024, Kumar's death marked the sixth case this year, shedding light on the gravity of the situation.

Centre's guidelines for coaching centres

The pattern of incidents has invited sharp criticism from parents around India as they fear for the well-being of their children. Notably, in view of the rising suicide incident, the Centre issued fresh guidelines in mid-January to safeguard the interests of students and their families.

The guidelines prohibit coaching institutes from enrolling students below the age of 16 years. Efforts have been taken to foster an environment for their mental and physical well being as well as secure their financial interests. In a promising move, the guidelines also prohibit the coaching institutions from charging exorbitant fees or changing the fee structure in the middle of the course duration.