Kota: NEET aspirant commits suicide 2 months after arriving in coaching hub

JAIPUR: A young student preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) ended his life by hanging himself in his hostel room in Kota.

The 18-year-old, identified as Mehul Vaishnav, had arrived in Kota two months ago to pursue NEET coaching while residing in a hostel. The incident occurred on Monday night within the jurisdiction of Udyog Nagar police station.

According to the local police, Mehul Vaishnav hailed from Salumbar, Udaipur. The family has been notified about the incident, but the exact motives behind the suicide are yet to be determined. Mehul was residing in the Vaishnav Samaj hostel.

Mehul’s roommate, Badrilal Vaishnav, shared heartbreaking details about the incident. Mehulwas found hanging in his room on Tuesday morning by his friends. The police were immediately alerted. Mehul’s roommate had been absent from the room during the night, leaving Mehul alone. No suicide note has been discovered so far.

Fellow students disclosed that Mehul had been seen within the hostel premises until 10 pm the previous night.

However, he did not emerge from his room thereafter. Concerned by his absence until 11 am the next day, other students living in the hostel notified the warden.

This tragic incident follows a series of distressing events in Kota involving suicides, suicide attempts, and suspicious deaths over the past six months. The alarming trend of young students resorting to such extreme measures has raised concerns about the mental well-being and pressure faced by those pursuing competitive exams.

In a similar incident reported on June 24, the suspicious death of another coaching student, Muskaan, came to light within the Vigyan Nagar police station area.

Muskaan, a 17-year-old from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, suddenly experienced vomiting and was rushed to a private hospital in an unconscious state. She was declared dead upon arrival. It was revealed that Muskaan had previously undergone open-heart surgery in 2012 due to a heart condition.

The Kota region has witnessed several other distressing incidents:

• On June 16, Roshan, a 21-year-old resident of Samastipur, Bihar, committed suicide after failing the NEET examination. He had returned from Delhi after visiting relatives and was residing in the Mahavir Nagar Third area.
• Bhargav Keshav, a 17-year-old student from Maharashtra, hanged himself in his room on June 12. He had been preparing for engineering (JEE) in the Jawahar Nagar police station area while his relatives had recently come to meet him.
• On June 7, Paritosh Kohiri, an 18-year-old student from Kurolia, West Bengal, died under suspicious circumstances. Paritosh was enrolled in private NEET coaching and initial investigations suggest a silent heart attack as the cause of death.
• Aryan, a 16-year-old resident of Nalda, Bihar, committed suicide on May 24 by hanging himself in the Kunhadi police station area. A suicide note mentioning a girl was found in his room.
• Navlesh, a 17-year-old student from Patna, Bihar, took his own life by hanging in his hostel room on May 12. A suicide note addressed to his father was discovered, expressing remorse for not meeting his father’s expectations.
• On May 8, Nasir, a 22-year-old student from Bangalore, leaped from the 10th floor of a building in the Vigyan Nagar police station area. Nasir had come to Jaipur after taking the NEET exam and was staying with a friend.
• In a tragic incident on April 26, Rashi Jain, a 19-year-old NEET coaching student from Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, hanged herself in her hostel room within the Jawahar Nagar police station area. Rashi had been suffering from illness and mental stress.
• Abhishek, a 17-year-old student from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide by hanging on February 24. He had been preparing for NEET in Kota for two years and was receiving coaching from an institute.
• On February 8, Krishna, a 17-year-old girl from Barmer, Rajasthan, took her own life by jumping from the 10th floor of a building in the Landmark City area of the Kunhadi police station jurisdiction.
• On January 29, a coaching student attempted suicide by jumping from the fourth floor balcony of a hostel in the Vigyan Nagar area. The student was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and CCTV footage captured the incident.
• A student attempted self-immolation on January 19 in the Jawahar Nagar police station area. Prompt intervention by locals prevented a tragedy, and the student, hailing from West Champaran district in Bihar, was taken to the hospital.
• On January 15, Ranjit, a 22-year-old student from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, ended his life by hanging himself. A suicide note expressing spiritual beliefs was discovered at the scene.
• Ali Raja, a student from Uttar Pradesh who had discontinued coaching for the past month, committed suicide on January 14. He was preparing for JEE in Kota.