A devastating incident occurred in Kota, Rajasthan, where a student preparing for medical entrance exams, Manjot Chhabra, died allegedly by suicide on Thursday. This marks the 17th suicide in the education city this year. Manjot, a teenager from Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur, had joined a coaching center in Kota to pursue his dream of cracking the NEET exam.
His lifeless body was discovered at his hostel this morning. Just a few days prior, another student named Pushpendra Singh had also died by hanging himself in Kota. Pushpendra had arrived in the city merely a week before to prepare for NEET and was living in a hostel with his cousin. Unfortunately, he left no suicide note behind, leaving his loved ones grappling for answers.
Kota has garnered attention in recent years for the distressing trend of student suicides resulting from academic pressure and feelings of disappointment following failures in competitive exams. Last year, the city witnessed at least 15 such cases, bringing to light the urgent need to address the mental health challenges faced by aspiring students.