Rajasthan CM Gehlot Calls Meeting To Address Rising Suicide Cases Among Students In Kota

Around 18-19 students have died by suicide in Kota, Rajasthan.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.

Expressing worry about the rising instances of student suicides in Kota, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot announced that he has scheduled a meeting with the management of coaching institutes later today at his residence. The aim of the meeting is to engage in discussions on this pressing issue, as reported by ANI.  "Chief Minister will hold a meeting with coaching operators and other stakeholders at 6.30 pm on the increasing suicide cases among coaching students," officials said in a statement. Over the past eight months, 20 students have tragically taken their own lives in Kota.

"Around 18-19 students have died by suicide in Kota and therefore it was important to understand the student's problems. Coaching management heads have been called for a meeting and a discussion on what needs to be done will be held...," CM Gehlot said.

In the beginning of this month, during the inauguration of the state-level 'Yuva Mahapanchayat' in Jaipur, the Chief Minister reiterated his concerns. He said that in the past eight months, 20 students had tragically died by suicide. He urged parents to avoid pressuring their children into choosing a specific academic path or college, recognizing the gravity of the situation.

"It is a matter of concern that 20 students committed suicide in the last eight months in Kota. I myself wanted to become a doctor in my childhood, used to study till 2-3 in the night, but did not succeed. However, I did not lose courage. I changed my path, became a social worker, entered politics and today I am in front of you," he had said.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sushil Kumar Modi had expressed concerns regarding the escalating instances of student suicides.

"In 2021, there have been 10,732 suicide cases of students below the age of 18 years. It depicted an increase of 4.5 percent from the previous year. In the last five years, 75 students have committed suicide at IIT, IIM, AIIMS, and other top premier institutions. These cases have been increasing at a concerning rate,” Sushil Modi told the Upper House.