Another NEET aspirant commits suicide in her hostel room in Kota

JAIPUR: The disturbing trend of student suicides in Kota shows no signs of abating. In a tragic incident, a NEET aspirant took her own life by hanging.

The incident occurred around 10 pm on Tuesday night at a hostel within the Electronic Complex of Vidyadhar Nagar. The door to the student’s room was open, and her roommate, upon discovering the scene, raised an alarm.

ASI Amra Ram identified the student as Richa Sinha, 16, from Ranchi, Jharkhand. She had arrived in Kota just five months prior. The hostel warden, Archana, mentioned her conversation with Richa’s father a month ago, urging him to visit his daughter.

Richa had been unwell for a couple of days, suffering from a cold and fever. She had received medication in the morning but had dinner in her room.

Her roommate, Ayesha, Ayesha was speaking to her father on the balcony, Richa bolted the balcony door and changed herself. Hearing the commotion, students and staff rushed to the scene, transporting Richa to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

This was the 25th suicide in Kota in just eight months. Although guidelines have been established to curb these suicides, the underlying pressures—loneliness, academic strain, and cutthroat competition—remain largely unaddressed.