Another coaching student death in Kota raises fresh concerns over student stress
A 20-year-old NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh died by suicide at her rented apartment in Kota, police said on Wednesday, August 26, marking the eighth such death among coaching students in the city since the start of the year.
Khooshbu Patel, who was preparing for the medical entrance examination for the second time, was found dead at her residence in Landmark City, under the Kunhadi police station area, after her younger sister returned from coaching classes on Tuesday night. Police said no suicide note was recovered, and the exact circumstances leading to her death are yet to be established, though she was reportedly distressed after scoring around 450 marks in her previous NEET-UG attempt.
According to police, her sister Khushi Patel, who is preparing for the JEE examination, returned to the flat around 9 pm after classes in Jawahar Nagar and found the door locked from inside. After repeated attempts to get a response, she sought help from friends, security guards and neighbours, following which a locksmith was called to open the door. Khooshbu was found unresponsive inside and was rushed to a hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Circle Inspector Devesh Bhardwaj said Khooshbu had been preparing for her second NEET attempt and was reportedly under stress over her earlier score. Assistant Sub-Inspector Anil Kumar confirmed that no suicide note was found. Police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by Khooshbu's grandfather, Deshraj Patel, and a post-mortem examination was conducted on Wednesday, after which her body was handed over to the family. Further investigation is underway.
Officials noted that the rented apartment was not fitted with an anti-hanging device, a safety measure mandated for hostel rooms under guidelines issued by the Kota hostel association.
(With inputs from PTI. If you or someone you know needs support, helplines such as the Tele-MANAS helpline (14416) offer free, confidential mental health assistance.)
