NEET aspirant goes missing from Kota
: A 19-year-old student went missing from Kota a day after taking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses on Sunday, said police on Thursday.
Accoording to sub-inspector of the Vigyan Nagar police station Zakir Hussain, the student, who is a resident of Gangapur, arrived in Kota a year ago. “After taking the NEET on Sunday, he spent the night at his aunt’s place in Kota. While leaving on Monday morning, he told his aunt that he would directly go to the station and take a train to his village. He went missing after,” said Hussain.
In his last text message to his father around 12pm on Monday, the student said that he was going away for five years. “I do not want to study anymore. I have ₹8000 and am leaving for five years. I will also sell my phone and destroy the SIM card. Please tell mom not to worry. I will not take any drastic steps. I have everyone’s number. If I need anything, I will call you,” he wrote. The student’s father lodged a missing report on Monday.
Hussain said the student has not been traced so far. “We are checking the CCTV footage of the local areas and railway station. Further investigation is underway.”
The development also came days after the coaching hub recorded suicide of nine students. Last year, 27 students, preparing for various competitive examinations, died by suicide in the district.
Kota is the centre of India’s test-prep business, estimated to be worth ₹10,000 crore annually, according to officials in the district administration. Students from around the country arrive here in huge numbers after completing Class 10, and register in residential test-prep institutes.
They also enroll in schools, most of which are largely for purposes of certification.
Students attend classes only in the test-prep institutes, which prepare them for their Class 12 examination, but more importantly, entrance examinations such as NEET and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Some students find the grind stressful, especially because they are away from their families.
On March 28, another 20-year-old NEET aspirant from UP’s Lucknow was also found dead at her paying guest accommodation, only a day after the death of another Kanauj-based NEET student at his rented accommodation in Vigyan Nagar area.
On March 8, a 16-year-old student from Bihar, who was preparing for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission in engineering courses, died by suicide in Kota, leaving behind a purported note for his father where he said he is struggling to pursue the course.
On February 19, a 16-year-old JEE aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, who was studying in Kota and went missing for over 10 days, was found dead in Chambal forest area. Based on the CCTVV footages and other evidences, the police stated it was suicide as his body was found stuck between two rocks down a cliff. “The boy had probably tried to jump into the river,” said police.
On February 13, a 16-year-old from Chhattisgarh, who appeared for the first edition of JEE-Main, died by suicide in Kota district, a day after the National Testing Agency published the answer key for the exam, police said. It appeared that he had scored very low in the exam, police added.
On January 29, an 18-year-old student from Kota died by suicide days ahead of the JEE-Main exam, leaving behind a purported note for her parents where she said she cannot attempt the exam.
On January 23, a 19-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh, who was preparing for NEET, allegedly died by suicide in the district.
According to police data, 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. No suicides were reported in 2020 and 2021 as coaching institutes were shut or ran in online mode due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On September 28, the Rajasthan government announced a series of measures to prevent suicides among students, such as a mandatory screening test, the alphabetical sorting of students into sections instead of a ranking-based one, and the admission of students who are in Class 9 or higher.
The guidelines also recommended mandatory training for teachers, institute managers, other staff, and the wardens of the hostels and paying guest accommodations to enable them assess behavioural changes of students and take further preventive measures.
The government warned of legal action against faculty of coaching institutes if they violated any of the regulations.
On January 16, the Union education minister also released specific instructions for functioning of coaching centres and restricted enrolment above the age of 16.