A 19-year-old engineering aspirant allegedly died by suicide inside his room in Rajasthan's Kota, police said on Wednesday, January 8.
The student, identified as Neeraj Jat from Mahendragarh, Haryana, was found hanging in his hostel room at Anand Kunj Residency in the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar area on Tuesday night. The area falls in the Jawahar Nagar police station jurisdiction.
The hostel owner, who discovered the body during a routine room check, immediately informed the police and the student’s family.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) Dilip Saini, Neeraj had been preparing for the JEE exam in Kota for the past two years.
On Tuesday evening, Neeraj had gone out to eat with a friend and reportedly showed no signs of distress. When he failed to respond during the night’s attendance check, the staff looked through a window of the room and found the body.
The body was moved to the mortuary at MBBS Hospital on Wednesday, and the postmortem will be conducted upon the arrival of his family, said officials.
The hostel staff said that Neeraj had gone out for dinner with a friend on Tuesday evening and did not exhibit any signs of stress. This is the first reported case of student suicide in Kota in 2025.
Kota, a hub for competitive exam preparation, witnessed 17 cases of suicides by coaching students in 2024, compared to 26 such cases in 2023.
Alarmed by the increasing trend, the previous Gehlot government formed a committee in August 2023 to investigate the causes.
The committee reported a few crucial reasons for students' suicide including lack of holidays or leisure time, separation from family, loss of confidence due to poor performance in coaching tests, academic pressure and high parental expectations, physical, mental, and academic stress and other factors such as financial struggles, blackmail, and relationship issues.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.