A 17-year-old National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant was found dead in his hostel room in Kota, Rajasthan, on Sunday, July 16, in what appears to be a case of suicide, reports PTI. According to the report, the teenager, identified as Pushpendra Singh, had arrived in Kota just a week prior to pursue coaching for the NEET exam. This incident marks the second suspected suicide in Kota this month and the 16th this year among students attending coaching classes.
Pushpendra's body was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan in his room at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in the Jawahar Nagar area. No suicide note was found, and the reason behind his alleged suicide is still under investigation. As per PTI, Pushpendra, a Class XI student from Jalor district in Rajasthan, had attended coaching classes for only a few days before his tragic death. He was residing in the hostel room with his cousin, who was also preparing for NEET UG.
On the day of the incident, Pushpendra asked his cousin, Lalu, to go out and arrange food. According to the police, when his cousin returned after approximately 20 minutes, he found the room door locked from the inside.
Upon looking through the window, he discovered Pushpendra's lifeless body hanging from the ceiling fan. The police were notified and arrived at the scene around noon. Pushpendra was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead upon arrival.
After post-mortem
Following a post-mortem examination on Monday, Pushpendra's body was handed over to his family. The police have registered a case under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Meanwhile, the deceased's uncle Inder Singh, who reached Kota with his father and other family members, questioned the Kota administration why students were taking the "extreme step" to end their lives.
"How could a child experience stress from studies or depression only within a week?" he asked, referring to his nephew's case.
Inder Singh stated that Pushpendra was academically bright, scoring 85 per cent in his Class X Board exams. He chose to pursue coaching in Kota, inspired by his elder brother who had also studied there. Financial concerns were ruled out, as the family was well-off.
However, Kota District Collector OP Bunker, while addressing the media, mentioned that the stress of exam preparation alone might not be the sole reason for these suicides. He pointed out that other factors, such as family issues and homesickness, could contribute to these tragic incidents.
He added that as the enrollments at coaching institutes shot up this year compared to previous years, the number of suicides could also rise in Kota. In 2022, at least 15 cases of suicide by coaching students were registered in Kota. Last year, at least 15 coaching students died by suicide.
More than 2.25 lakh students are estimated to be taking classes in various coaching centres in the city this academic session to crack entrance exams of medical and engineering colleges.
