In the wake of suicides by some students, authorities in Rajasthan’s Kota have asked coaching institutes to stop conducting routine tests of students preparing for NEET and other competitive exams for the next two months.
Kota district collector OP Bunkar, in an order issued Sunday night, asked the coaching institutes to stop holding routine tests for the next two months.
He said the directions were passed to provide ‘mental support’ to students.
On Sunday, August 27, two NEET aspirants committed suicide in two separate incidents in Kota.
Avishkar Shambaji Kasle (17) was found dead minutes after walking out of a room on the third floor of the institute after taking a mock test, police said. Adarsh Raj (18), who was also preparing for the NEET, hanged himself in his rented flat at around 7 p.m., they added.
According to authorities, 22 students preparing for competitive exams in the coaching hub have ended their lives so far this year.
Over two lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges.
