Why Rajasthan's Kota is facing a student suicide crisis: Six deaths in the first 22 days of 2025

15 students died by suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015

A 24-year-old NEET aspirant from Gujarat and a 17-year-old JEE aspirant from Assam died by suicide in Rajasthan’s coaching hub Kota on Wednesday. This takes the total student suicide death cases to six in the first 22 days of 2025.

Students from across the country visit Kota, in large numbers, after completing Class 10 to prepare for competitive exams such as JEE and NEET-UG.

Ashfa Sheikh, a native of Ahmedabad, was found dead in her PG room in the Jawahar Nagar police station area around 10 am.

Two hours later, a teenager from Guwahati, whose identity was not disclosed by police, ended his life in his hostel room in Mahaveer Nagar, also under the jurisdiction of the same police station.

Ashfa was a former coaching student who had previously attempted NEET multiple times, according to the police. She was doing self-study and taking tuition in requisite subjects, while the Guwahati teen was scheduled to appear for JEE-Main next week.

Police said no suicide note was found in either case, and it was being determined why the two took the extreme step, as per a Times of India report.

"He took the drastic step hours before his mother was due to reach Kota to care for him before and during the exam. She was traveling by train," circle inspector Ram Laxman of Jawahar Nagar PS said about the Guwahati teen.

Last Friday, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Odisha died by suicide in Kota. Earlier this month, two JEE aspirants were also found dead in their hostels.

The first case was reported on the night of January 7, when a 19-year-old JEE aspirant from Haryana was found hanging in his hostel room in Rajeev Gandhi Nagar. The following day, on January 8, a 20-year-old student from Madhya Pradesh was found dead in his hostel room in Vigyan Nagar.

Students in Kota attend classes primarily at the institutes that prepare them for Class 12th exams and, more importantly, for entrance tests like NEET and JEE. As they live away from home and families, some students find the preparations stressful.

15 students died by suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015, reported Hindustan Times, quoting police sources.

The administration issued guidelines in August 2023 for hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations that included the installation of spring-loaded fans in rooms to ensure "mental support and security" for students.

The Rajasthan government, the same year, introduced several measures to curb student suicides including mandatory screening tests, alphabetical sorting of students into sections instead of ranking, and restricting admissions to students in Class 9th or higher.