29 January,2024 03:36 PM IST | Kota (Rajasthan) | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Picture/iStock
An 18-year-old girl, preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her residence. The student, identified as Niharika Singh, left a suicide note apologizing to her parents and referring to herself as a "loser."
"Mummy, papa I can't do JEE. So I suicide," the note scrawled in English said, according to police. She was to give the JEE test in a day or two. "I am loser. I am worst daughter. Sorry mummy papa. Yahi last option he," the note found in Niharika Singh's room added.
Niharika was scheduled to take the JEE test in a day or two. Her tragic death marks the second suspected suicide in Kota within a week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's annual interaction with students, where he advised against letting competition overwhelm them, coincided with this unfortunate incident, newswire PTI reported.
Residing in Kota's Shiv Vihar Colony, Niharika, the eldest of three sisters, was under intense stress over her upcoming JEE test. Her father works as a security guard at a private bank in Kota, and the family had been living in the city for the last three years.
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According to a cousin, Niharika was diligent in her studies, dedicating seven to eight hours daily. Despite having to repeat her 12th-grade exam due to a low score, she struggled with the pressure associated with the competitive exam. The family discovered her lifeless body hanging from the ventilation window above her room's door after her grandmother raised an alarm.
Last year, Kota witnessed 26 student suicides, as it is a hub for students from across the country preparing for exams like the JEE. The recent incident echoes the tragic death of 19-year-old Mohammed Zaid, who was found hanging in his hostel room on January 23. Zaid, preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET, had come to Kota from Uttar Pradesh.
Niharika's suicide occurred just an hour before Prime Minister Modi's "Pariksha pe Charcha" interaction in Delhi, where he addressed various issues, including the need for instilling resilience in children to help them cope with academic pressure. Modi emphasized the importance of healthy competition and advised parents to avoid comparing their children with others. (With inputs from PTI)