NEET aspirant kills self in hostel room in Kota

NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old NEET aspirant from Uttar Pradesh allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan in his hostel room here, police said on Wednesday. It is the first case of suspected student suicide in the coaching hub this year. The incident happened on Tuesday and the police have recovered the body from the victim’s room in a hostel in New Rajiv Gandhi Nagar area of Kota.

Kota Hostel Association president Naveen Mittal said the fan in the victim’s room was not equipped with anti-suicide device in violation of guidelines set up for hostels in the district. Mittal said the association would blacklist the hostel and recommend the district administration to seize the hostel. He said there were still several hostels in the city where guidelines were not being followed. Kota district authorities had ordered hostels to install a spring device on ceiling fans that foils suicide attempts.

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Circle Officer of Jawahar Nagar area DSP Bhawani Singh said the deceased was identified as Mohammed Jaid (19), a resident of Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh. He was preparing for a second attempt at NEET at a coaching institute in the city. The body has been placed in the mortuary and the post-mortem would be conducted after the victim’s parents arrive in the city, the officer said. Singh said the hostel warden informed the police after Jaid did not come out of his room till Tuesday evening.

Around 10 pm, the police were informed, he added. The DSP said no suicide note was recovered from the room and the reason behind extreme step would be ascertained after investigation. Last year, there were 26 student suicide cases in Kota, the highest figure so far in the coaching hub, where lakhs students reach from across the country every year for preparation of medical and engineering entrance exams.

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.