JAIPUR: Another distressing incident of a student suicide has cast a somber shadow over the educational hub of Kota. On Monday night, an 18-year-old coaching student, identified as Valmiki Prasad Jangid (18), hailing from Gaya, Bihar, took his own life. This marks the fourth suicide within the month of August alone and the 21st such tragedy since January this year.
According to local police officer Paramjeet, the incident was reported around 10 pm on Monday night, with the police receiving official information by 8 pm on Tuesday night. The tragic event occurred amidst a national holiday on August 15th, when students were confined to their rooms. When Valmiki was not seen by fellow students until 7 pm on Tuesday evening, concerns arose. A nearby student, upon discovering Valmiki's absence, proceeded to knock on his room's door, only to receive no response.
Subsequently, the landlord was informed and arrived at the scene approximately half an hour later. After failed attempts to enter the room, local authorities were contacted. The police, in conjunction with the landlord, entered the room around 8 pm, revealing Valmiki's lifeless body hanging from a window. Family members were informed of the tragic discovery.
Initial findings indicate that Valmiki had been preparing for the IIT entrance examination, having initially engaged in preparations during the first session. Presently, it remains uncertain whether he appeared for the exam during this period. At the time of his death, he was actively preparing for the second session.
Valmiki's father, Vinod, a retired Subedar from the Army, along with relatives, arrived in Kota on Wednesday morning upon receiving news of his son's demise. Vinod disclosed that Valmiki, who was the only brother among two sisters, had chosen to study in Kota independently, despite his reluctance to be sent there. During phone conversations on the evening of August 14, Valmiki had shown no signs of distress.
Regrettably, despite extensive efforts by the government and local authorities, the alarming trend of student suicides in Kota continues unabated. Between January and August 15, a distressing total of 21 suicide cases have been reported. Of these cases, 13 students arrived in Kota within a timeframe of two to three months up to a year. An additional seven students had enrolled in coaching institutes and had been residents for a period ranging from one and a half to five months. Furthermore, two attempted suicide cases have also come to light.
Kota has become the biggest industry here. Today, there are about 40 big and small institutes in the city catering to nearly 1.5 lakh engineering and medical aspirants.
With over 10 lakh students from all over the country appearing for JEE Mains to secure about 1700 seats in 23 IITs, the competition is fierce. The deep-rooted bias in India for engineering and medical professions makes ambitious parents bring their children here so that they can make it to the IITs or medical colleges. The coaching institutes are taking full advantage of this mad race to make a killing. Kota’s fame as India’s ‘coaching capital’ is also the reason for its notoriety as a ‘suicide city’ and the measures taken by administration and institutes to bring down the insane stress of competition, which proves too much to handle for many teenage students, have been inadequate,
Even Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently expressed his concern regarding the rising incidence of suicides in Kota. Speaking at a 'Yuva Mahapanchayat' in Jaipur, he voiced his worry, stating, "The escalating count of 20 student suicides over the past eight months in Kota is disconcerting. We need to do our best to check this trend."
Students in Kota appear to employ methods that leave little possibility of survival. Research underscores six primary reasons for these tragic occurrences, which encompass academic, physical, and psychological including love affairs, family, major life events, and socio-economic stressors.
As they find themselves all alone in a city without any emotional or moral support from parents, students — many of whom have moved away from home for the first time — find it difficult to cope with the stress of studies and competition.
The coaching institutes organise periodic tests, generally once every three weeks. The results are communicated to parents via messages and letters. A lot of students can’t face the embarrassment of bad results. Students who got high percentages in school start scoring poor marks on review tests. They don’t know how to explain this to their parents.
Test performance decides the batch a student is assigned. When the rank of a student slips, he or she is put to ‘lower’ batches, which hurts his or her self-esteem. Parental expectations are often responsible for driving children to end their lives.
District Collector OP Bunkar noted that the reasons behind these suicides are complex, with academic pressure and parental expectations being significant factors. Efforts are underway to offer counselling to students uninterested in pursuing education in Kota, along with involving parents in the decision-making process. Authorities are diligently implementing measures to stem this distressing wave of suicides, including motivational seminars, psychological assessments, and designated days free from testing obligations.
