Coaching student from Haryana dies by suicide in Kota; parent suspects murder

KOTA: A 19-year-old student, who was preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), was found hanging from a noose in his hostel room in Rajasthan's Kota district, police said on Wednesday. The hostel owner informed the police and the family about the suicide of the student from Mahendragarh in Haryana last night, they said.

Circle Inspector Budharam Jat said that Neeraj, a student of Class 12, had been preparing for the JEE at a coaching institute in Kota and lived in a hostel in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar.

The boy allegedly died by suicide by hanging himself to the hook of a ceiling fan in his hostel room late Tuesday evening. However, the incident came to light around 10.30 pm when the caretaker knocked the room and did not receive any response, he added.

Jat said the reason behind this extreme step by the boy is yet to be ascertained as no suicide note was recovered from his room. The post-mortem is underway after the boy's family members reached Kota and a case will be registered according to the report filed by them, he told PTI.

The father of the deceased student said that his son was preparing for JEE Main at Allen Coaching in Kota for the last two years. Neeraj was good at studies and attended the coaching classes regularly, he said.

"I spoke to my son Neeraj on phone last time around 3.30 pm on Tuesday and he was in a good mood with no complains whatsoever," Neeraj's father told reporters outside the mortuary in Kota.

Neeraj was scheduled to return home by the evening train on January 9 and had a reserved seat, he said. Neeraj's father claimed that his son could not have committed suicide. Demanding an impartial investigation into the matter, he alleged that his son was choked to death and was subsequently hung to the ceiling fan to make it appear as a case of suicide.

If you know someone - friend or family member - at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA's official website or can call ICALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.