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Kota Suicides: Priyanka Gandhi urged educational institutions, parents, and the government to introspect and address student stress.
Priyanka Gandhi urged education reform after two student suicides in Kota. (Image: Reuters)
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has expressed deep concern over the suicides of two competitive exam aspirants in Kota, Rajasthan. She urged the government to reform the education system by conducting a detailed study on students’ mental health and the learning environment.
A medical aspirant from Gujarat and an engineering aspirant from Assam ended their lives by hanging on Wednesday. Both were preparing for competitive exams in Kota, a major coaching hub.
“The news of two students committing suicide on the same day in Kota is shocking and heartbreaking. In the last three weeks, five students have died by suicide here. This is alarming,” Priyanka Gandhi wrote on X in Hindi.
She called for introspection among educational institutions, parents, and the government. “Why is this happening? Are children under so much pressure that they cannot cope, or is the environment unsuitable for them?” she asked.
Gandhi urged the government to take concrete measures, adding, “There should be a thorough study of students’ psychology, teaching methods, and their environment to implement necessary reforms.”
One of the victims, 24-year-old NEET aspirant Ashfa Sheikh from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was found hanging in her paying guest accommodation on Wednesday morning. Police said she had taken the NEET exam multiple times but had not cleared it. She was self-studying after attending coaching classes earlier. The reason for her suicide is still unknown.
Just two hours later, an 18-year-old JEE aspirant from Guwahati, Assam, was found dead in his hostel room. He was preparing to take the JEE-Mains exam next week. His mother was on her way to Kota to visit him. No suicide note was recovered, the police said.
In recent years, Kota has reported several student suicides, raising concerns about the pressure on aspirants in the competitive exam system.
ALSO READ: NEET, JEE Aspirants Die By Suicide In Kota, Marks 6th Such Incident This Year
In just the first 22 days of 2025, six students have died by suicide in Kota. To address such tragedies, the administration issued guidelines in August 2023 for hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations, including installing spring-loaded fans to provide “mental support and security” to students.
That same year, the Rajasthan government implemented several measures aimed at preventing student suicides.
These included mandatory screening tests, organizing students alphabetically in sections instead of ranking them by performance, and restricting admissions to Class 9 or higher students.
