A 17-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh was on Thursday found hanged in his room at Kota, a coaching center in Rajasthan, the latest in a series of such cases.
Jawaharlal, a local police officer, said the student came to Kota two years ago and was pursuing training for engineering entrance exams. He added that the exact cause of death has not yet been determined and investigations are still ongoing. Jawaharlal said the student’s body was taken to a local hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police said that no note has been found from the student’s room yet. They added that an autopsy will be conducted after his family reaches Kota. Investigators are collecting information from the student’s friends and acquaintances to understand the circumstances that led to the accident.
Kota is the center of test preparation work in India, which is valued $10,000 crores annually. Students from all over the country arrive here in large numbers after completing Class X and enrolling in residential institutes, besides joining schools, largely for certification purposes.
According to police data, 15 students died in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016 and 18 in 2015. No suicides were reported in 2020 and 2021 as coaching institutes were closed or operated online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A series of suicides have been reported since then.
In January 2024, the Federal Minister of Education issued instructions to operate training centers and limit the enrollment of students over the age of 16 only. He warned against imposing a penalty $1,00,000 to the institutes in case of any violation.
