18-year-old NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar, 2nd in a month
The student from Bharatpur’s Nadbai arrived in Sikar six months ago and had been staying in a hostel in Udyog Nagar
An 18-year-old student who was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission in medical courses died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar on Saturday, said police.
Read here: New Rajasthan guidelines aim to curb suicides in Kota
This is the second such incident in the district in a month. Twenty-five students have died by suicide in the state’s biggest coaching hub, Kota, so far this year.
According to police, the teen from Bharatpur’s Nadbai arrived in Sikar six months ago and had been staying in a hostel in Udyog Nagar.
“The student skipped the coaching class today and the incident took place when his roommate was off to the institute,” said Surendra Singh Degra, station house officer (SHO) of Udyog Nagar police station.
The SHO said that the victim’s roommate discovered the incident when he didn’t respond to repeated knocks following which the hostel authority broke open the door and found him hanging from the fan.
The SHO said no suicide note was found. “The body has been sent to the district medical college hospital for an autopsy. Further investigation is underway,” he said.
Earlier on September 4, a 16-year-old NEET student from Karauli died by suicide in the same place. Another suicide case was reported on September 7, 2022.
According to the state government’s estimation, Sikar houses the second largest number of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and NEET aspirants who arrive here after completing Class X, and register in residential test-prep institutes, mostly from various districts in Rajasthan.
Considering a surge in suicide cases in Kota and Sikar, a high-level state committee led by the higher education secretary Bhawani Singh Detha, issued a guideline on September 27 mandating the creation of monitoring centres in Kota and Sikar.
Read here: Age bar, refunds: Rajasthan panel's likely steps to stem Kota suicides
It also prescribed legal action against faculty of coaching institutes if they violate any of the regulations. The committee said, “Such violation that may severely affect the students’ mental health will be considered as a criminal act and the district administration will take necessary legal action against it.”
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