In the hours, three students killed themselves in Kota, Rajasthan, also known for being India's centre for coaching classes to crack competitive college entrance examinations. Kota, which is well-known for producing IITians, physicians, and engineers, has been in the news for the past few years due to the number of student suicides and depression cases.
Three students recently committed suicide, raising the question of who should be held accountable. Were these students depressed as a result of the stress of their studies? Do their parents know they weren't even attending class, as other students had revealed to the media? reported IANS.
Kota Superintendent of Police Kesar Singh told IANS, "Police teams are investigating the case. It is too early to say anything as the investigation is on in the case. A post-mortem is being done and thereafter we shall make a thorough probe."
Officials have confirmed that the three students who killed themselves on Monday, December 12, two from Bihar and one from Madhya Pradesh, were all enrolled at Allen, the largest university in Rajasthan. The initial inquiry found that these kids were depressed and under the stress of their education. Rumours about the kids skipping classes and examinations had been spreading among their friends and dorms, although the number of days the victims skipped coaching courses had not yet been made public.
According to the preliminary inquiry, the three students did not attend coaching regularly. The owner of the Krishna Kunj PG Hostel was not aware that the two coaching students, Ankush and Ujjawal, were skipping class.
One of the friends of the victim, Prince, who used to have breakfast with Ankush regularly said that by 11 am on Monday, December 12 he tried calling Ankush several times. "He didn't take the call so I reached Ankush's hostel with a friend. It was locked from the inside. When I looked through the window, he was hanging. We informed the student living in the nearby room and also informed the hostel operator," he said, as per IANS.
The police have several questions about the two suicides as both the victims are residents of Bihar and lived in the same hostel. Their rooms were on the same floor and they both were found hanging in their rooms. The question arising from this incident is whether it was a planned suicide or not. Did the two talk to each other before the suicide? It is suspected that both of them discussed their stress with each other as the information of their suicide came after 11 o'clock.
According to Ujjwal's friend, he is the only son in the family. Since he was in Class 9, he had resided in Kota. His sister also attends coaching classes in the same area. She went to the hostel and tapped on the door of his brother. She called the police when her brother wouldn't answer the door, and later his body was discovered as well. He mentioned Ujjwal's academic prowess. He recently failed a coaching exam. He told his father about it, who reprimanded him, after which he desired to return home.
The third student, Pranav Verma, 17, has spent the last two years in Kota studying to become a doctor. Since April, he has been residing in the Landmark City hostel. On Sunday night, December 11, after eating his dinner. He spoke with his family over the phone at around nine o'clock. Pranav was found unconscious in the gallery at 1.30 a.m. when a different hostel resident went outside to get some water. He was sent urgently to a private hospital for care. He was examined by the doctor, who pronounced him dead. Rat-killing medication, according to officials, was discovered in Pranav's room. The police have currently sealed the room.
Two college students preparing for the IIT and NEET drowned in Kota over 20 days ago. The government then established rules for the students who were receiving coaching. It was decided that the coaching organisations would monitor the students. Parents of students who are frequently absent will receive SMS messages. It will also be necessary to inform the police station and the administration. It was discovered in these suicide cases that the coaching centre had not informed the relatives of the students about this. Another student, Abhishek, had also committed suicide in Kota a few months before the suicide of these three classmates, stated the IANS report.
Dr CS Sushil, Senior Professor Psychiatrist of Kota Medical College and former Superintendent of New Medical Hospital said, "Stress in studies is increasing. This is the biggest reason for suicide. They do not live with family and also feel stressed due to not getting family protection. It is very important to provide the means of entertainment along with studies,” as reported by IANS.
