Agencies | Kota:
A missed test, a locked room and a phone call that shattered a family’s hopes. In Kota, where thousands of young people arrive each year with dreams of cracking India’s toughest entrance examinations, the deaths of two students in a single day have once again raised painful questions about student safety, emotional well-being and the responsibility of coaching institutes and hostel authorities.
One of the students, 16-year-old Ajit Dhakad from Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, had moved to Kota just six months ago to prepare for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Police suspect suicide, though the exact cause of his death is yet to be established. Hours later, another aspirant, 19-year-old Gautam Kumar from Darbhanga in Bihar, died after being found unconscious in his hostel bathroom. His family has alleged negligence by the hostel administration, a charge police say is under investigation.
The two deaths have renewed concerns in the Rajasthan city, which accommodates a large population of students preparing for competitive examinations, including the JEE and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
For Ajit’s family, Sunday began like any other day in the life of a student preparing for a competitive examination. He was scheduled to take a test at his coaching institute at 9 am, but did not turn up.
By around 9 pm, concern had grown when he failed to open the door of his room at the paying guest accommodation where he lived. Police were informed, and officers reached the premises to find the door locked from the inside.
Kishor Lal, a police officer posted at Jawahar Nagar police station, said officers broke open the door and rushed Ajit to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
“We received the information at 9:30 pm. We broke open the door and rushed him to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” Lal said, adding that the student’s relatives had informed police about his absence from the scheduled test.
The officer said Ajit may have been experiencing emotional distress, but stressed that the exact circumstances surrounding his death would be determined through an investigation.
Ajit’s uncle, Sitaram Dhakad, said the teenager had initially shared a room with other students but later requested separate accommodation.
“He was preparing for the JEE. A test was scheduled for 9 am on Sunday, but he did not appear for it,” his uncle said.
The family learnt about the tragedy through a call from the hostel owner that night. “Around 9 pm, we received a call from the hostel owner. He told us to come to Kota, saying that our child had died by suicide,” Sitaram said.
The family reached Kota around 2 am.
Ajit’s father had died earlier, while his elder brother, Divyansh, is studying in Shivpuri. His uncle said Ajit had spoken to his mother on the night before the incident and told her that everything was fine.
That conversation has left the family grappling with the sudden loss of a teenager who had travelled away from home in pursuit of an educational dream.
Hours after Ajit’s death, Gautam Kumar, a 19-year-old NEET aspirant from Darbhanga, was found unconscious in the bathroom of his hostel room in Kota’s Kunhadi area.
Gautam was staying at Shreeji Residency in Landmark City and had reportedly been preparing for the medical entrance examination for around a year and a half. He was taken to MBS Hospital, where he died during treatment.
His relatives have accused the hostel administration of failing to notice his absence for much of the day and alleged that timely intervention could have saved his life.
Akhilesh, a relative of Gautam, said the family had spoken to him the previous night. According to him, concern arose when Gautam did not appear for breakfast or lunch at the hostel.
A relative who also studies in Kota eventually went to check on him and found him unconscious in the bathroom at around 10 pm, Akhilesh said.
“The hostel staff did not look for him. The coaching institute also failed to inform anyone that he had not attended his classes,” he alleged.
The family questioned why the hostel warden had not checked on the student and why another relative had to discover him in that condition. They have filed a police complaint alleging negligence by the hostel administration.
The allegations have not been established, and the circumstances leading to Gautam’s death remain under investigation.
Kota Deputy Superintendent of Police Devesh Bhardwaj confirmed that Gautam, who was studying at the Allen coaching institute, had been taken to hospital by the hostel owner and his friends.
“The hostel owner and his friends took him to the hospital, where he passed away during treatment,” Bhardwaj said.
He added that police were investigating the cause of death and examining the family’s allegations.
“We are looking into the matter and will take appropriate action based on the facts,” he said.
Bhardwaj cautioned against drawing conclusions about how long Gautam had remained unattended, saying police had received information that the student had eaten lunch. When people went to check on him in the evening, he was found unconscious, he said.
At this stage, investigators have not determined how long Gautam had been in that condition.
The deaths have brought renewed attention to the pressures faced by students in Kota, one of India’s largest coaching centres for engineering and medical entrance examinations. The city hosts an estimated 2.5 lakh students at a time, many living away from their families while preparing for examinations that can shape their academic and professional futures.
The latest incidents also add to concerns over student suicides in the city. According to the figures cited in the report, Ajit’s death is the 14th such incident recorded in Kota this year, although the circumstances of each case require separate verification.
For families sending their children to Kota, the city represents an opportunity to secure a better future. But the deaths of the two students have once again highlighted the importance of timely intervention when a student misses classes, does not respond to calls or appears to be struggling.
The investigations into both deaths are continuing. While police work to establish the circumstances, Gautam’s family is seeking answers over its allegations of negligence, and Ajit’s relatives are left mourning a teenager whose last conversation with his mother gave them no indication of the tragedy that followed.
