A student from West Bengal has died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota. This is the 28th suicide this year in the city, a prominent coaching hub for competitive exams that draws students from across the country.
Forid, a resident of West Bengal, had been living at Kota’s Waqf Nagar area and preparing for NEET, the all-India examination for entrance to medical education courses.
He was found hanging in his room last evening, police said. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Other students living at the rented accommodation where Forid stayed have told police that they saw him last at 4 pm. When he did not step out of his room till 7 pm and did not answer their calls, they raised an alarm. It was then that the landlord rang up police.
No suicide note has been found yet, police said, adding that the student’s family members have been informed. Forid had been living in Kota since last year, police said.
The suicides in Kota have sparked conversations on the mental health of students and how stress is driving them to the edge. Determined to check the disturbing trend, the state government last year issued guidelines for coaching centres, asking them to take steps to keep students stress-free.
