Kota, Sep 11 (PTI) Experts in suicide prevention, along with other organisations, deliberated on measures to check suicidal tendencies among youngsters, particularly students preparing for competitive exams here, on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day.
The discussion, titled ‘I am also a guardian’, was held at Sadgun Auditorium of Allen Career Institute in Landmark City in Kota on Tuesday. Other organisers of the event included Kota district administration, Hope Society, Indian Medical Association and Indian Academy of Paediatrics.
Dr M L Agarwal, a veteran psychiatrist and president of Hope Society, which has been working on suicide prevention in Kota for over a decade, expressed concerns about the city’s reputation being tarnished due to the suicide issue.
“Every suicide is tragic but Kota is being excessively defamed for it, which is wrong,” Dr Agarwal said. He claimed the number of suicides in Kota and Rajasthan are much lower compared to the rest of the country.
“Giving prominence to news on suicide can also incite suicides,” he added.
Dr Harish Sharma, chief psychologist at Allen Career Institute, said, “We need to be vigilant and understand the behaviour of students and their parents”.
The director of the institute, Dr Govind Maheshwari, noted that earlier there was very little discussion around this topic. This needs to be changed by having regular interaction with students, he said.
Dr Himanshu Sharma, associated with suicide prevention efforts, talked about the various measures being taken in coordination with district administration, coaching institutes and other stakeholders to check suicidal tendencies among students.
Tracking students’ attendance, monitoring their behaviour in classes, running various awareness campaigns in hostel messes are some of the initiatives, Dr Sharma said.
Every year, over two lakh students from across the country arrive in Kota to prepare for entrance examinations for engineering and medical colleges. The city hosts around 4,500 hostels and 45,000 paying guest accommodations, with students spending on food, stationery and transportation significantly boosting the local economy.
However, the growing number of suicide cases among students in the city has adversely affected the local economy. Since January this year, 14 students have died by suicide in the coaching hub of Kota, while 26 cases of suicide were reported in the city in 2023.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 report, Kota ranks 34th among cities in the country for suicide incidents and 18th in incidents of suicide due to fear of failing exams. Meanwhile, Rajasthan stands at 10th position in the country for students suicides. PTI COR BHJ BHJ
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