Kota: In yet another disturbing case, a student ended her life in Rajasthan's Kota as she could not cope with the pressure of competitive exams and expressed her reasons for taking the extreme step in a heartbreaking note she left for her parents.
Niharika Singh, 18, from Kota's Borkheda area, was found lifeless at her home on Monday morning. Her family members rushed her to the nearby MBS hospital where doctors declared her dead.
Borkheda police station officials reached the mortuary of MBS Hospital and gathered information about the entire incident from the family members. The police also recovered the suicide note along with Niharika's body. The note read: "Mummy, Papa, I can't do JEE. So I suicide. I am loser. I worst daughter. Sorry Mummy, Papa. This is the last option I have [sic]".
Borkheda police station officer Jitendra Singh Shekhawat said that the incident happened around 9:30 am. Niharika, according to family members, was preparing for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Mains and her exam was slated for January 30 or 31.
The victim's cousin Vikram Singh said she was under stress for several days as she had cleared her class 12 with low scores last year. Niharika, while attempting to sit again for Class 12 exams to better her scores, was simultaneously preparing for JEE Mains.
Singh said Niharika was studying for about 6 to 7 hours every day. The victim's family is originally from Akavad village of Jhalawar district, but the family had a house in Kota as well. The victim's father Vijay Singh is a security guard at a local bank. Niharika was the eldest of three sisters.
Niharika's case is among the latest in the spate of such student deaths in Kota. On January 23, 19-year-old Mohammed Zaid was found hanging in his hostel room in the city. He had come to Kota from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district a year back to prepare for the medical entrance exam NEET. No suicide note was found in that case.
Ironically, Niharika was found dead about an hour before the PM's Pariksha pe Charcha interaction in Delhi began. Among other issues, the prime minister talked about instilling resilience among children to help them cope with pressure. Modi said competition acts as inspiration but it should be healthy. "Lot of parents keep giving examples of other children to their children. Parents should avoid doing these things," he said.
In 2023, Kota saw 26 students ending their lives, the highest-ever figure in a year. In 2022, the toll was 15. The spate of student suicides has prompted the stakeholders in the city to come up with desperate measures such as installing anti-hanging devices in hostel room fans and iron mesh in balconies and lobbies.
More than two lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the JEE for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges. Packed schedules, cut-throat competition, constant pressure to do better, the burden of parents' expectations and homesickness are among the common struggles the students contend with in the coaching hub.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).
