Another NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Kota; 22nd case this year

In a tragic incident, a teen learner died by suicide today in Rajasthan’s Kota, the nation’s center for aspiring engineers, doctors, and civil employees. NEET, the medical entrance exam, was what Avishkar Shubhangi had been preparing for. With this death, there have been 22 suicides this year, which is the most since 2018. 

Kota’s collector, OP Bunkar, released a warning that no tests would be given at coaching facilities for a month. Avishkar Shubhangi, who was visiting his grandparents in Kota, was a Maharashtrian. He had taken a test before jumping from the coaching center’s sixth level. According to the police, after being transferred to the hospital, he was pronounced deceased.

Today was Avishkar’s exam day, and he completed the test five minutes early and then fell from the sixth floor, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Dharamvir Singh.

According to data, since the Covid-19 epidemic, there has been a 60% increase in suicides, indicating a concerning trend. Few students have perished during the Covid-19 outbreak. The number of recorded deaths increased from 10 in 2017 to 12 in 2018. In the previous year, 15 students committed suicide.

A student was hospitalized last week after he “by mistake” ingested 15 pills intended to lower fever. His companion claimed that because of his poor test results, he was discouraged.

As a preventative measure against students taking drastic action, hostels in Kota are now putting “anti-suicide nets” and loaded with springs fans on the balconies and lobby areas.

However, precautions like spring-loaded fans can be useful in deterring any effort that a student could make in a fit of rage. When that effort fails, students can be counseled and additional actions can be taken as well, according to Deputy Commissioner OP Bunkar, as reported by the news source Press Trust of India.

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