(Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide. Reader discretion advised)
A final year BTech student allegedly died by suicide in Kota, police officials confirmed on Friday, 2 February, making it the third such case in the last two weeks in Rajasthan's infamous coaching hub.
When did the incident happen? 27-year-old Noor Mohammed died on Wednesday, 31 January, but his body was recovered from his room on 1 February, news agency PTI reported.
A native of Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district, Mohammed was pursuing his BTech degree from SRM University, Chennai and lived at a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Kota.
What we know: Deputy Superintendent of Police (Vigyan Nagar) Dharmveer Singh said that Mohammed studied in coaching institutes in Kota to prepare for the entrance exam from 2016 to 2019 and after being admitted to SRM University, he used to take online classes from his Kota PG.
The incident came to light when a mess boy noticed a tiffin box kept untouched outside Mohammed's room on Thursday evening and informed the PG owner, DSP Singh said, as quoted by PTI.
"The police were informed about the incident at around 8 pm on Thursday. The body has been placed in the mortuary for post-mortem," the official said, adding that the student’s family has been informed.
The bigger picture: At least 30 students died by suicide in Kota – Rajasthan’s infamous coaching factory – in 2023 alone.
On 29 January, an 18-year-old JEE aspirant, Niharika Solanki, died by suicide in Kota. Solanki hailed from Kota’s Borkheda and was supposed to appear for the exam on 31 January.
In a purported suicide note left behind by Solanki, she wrote, “Mummy papa I can’t do JEE so I suicide. I am loser. I worst daughter. Sorry mummy, papa. Yahi last option he. (This is the last option.)”
Earlier in January, the Union Ministry of Education proposed Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Centre 2024 to bring coaching institutes under a legal framework and address the growing number of “unregulated centers,” amid the increasing number of student suicides. The Centre suggested:
Coaching centres cannot enrol students below 16 years of age, or students who have not yet qualified their secondary school examinations.
Coaching institutes cannot make “misleading promises or guarantee of rank or good marks.”
Only coaching institutes that have a “counselling system” in place can get registered.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)