by Muslim Mirror Staff

A 20-year-old Muslim student, identified as Muhammad Tanveer, who was preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), took his own life in Kota, Rajasthan on Wednesday. This tragic event marks the 26th known student suicide in Kota this year alone. Kota, known for its numerous coaching classes catering to students preparing for various entrance exams, annually attracts a significant number of aspirants from across the country.

Earlier this month, another incident unfolded when a 17-year-old student, Prem Singh, allegedly consumed poison at a local coaching institute, leading to his death. Prem Singh, originally from Mao, Uttar Pradesh, had been residing in Kota for a year, preparing for the medical entrance exam.

In August this year, two aspiring medical students also lost their lives to suicide. Both of them were teenagers, pushing the tally of student suicides in the coaching hub to a staggering 23 this year. One of the victims was a 17-year-old youth who jumped from the sixth floor of a coaching institute, highlighting the extreme pressures these students face. The same evening, an 18-year-old student from Bihar, who was preparing for the medical entrance exam, was found hanging in his hostel room.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has reported an alarming 70 percent increase in student suicides over the past decade in India. In 2021 alone, students accounted for 8 percent of suicides in the country, with 13,089 lives lost, a stark rise from the 5.7 percent reported in 2011. The consistent annual increase in student suicides since 2011 is a matter of deep concern.

The increase in student suicides has sparked a nationwide debate on the mental health and academic pressures placed on young students, especially in cities like Kota, which draw lakhs of aspiring candidates annually for various competitive exams.