Kota's first student suicide of 2026 renews demands for coaching industry accountability

An 18-year-old student from Haryana, preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination at a coaching institute in Kota, died by suicide on January 28 after jumping before a train. He had been in Kota for two years. He is the first coaching student to die in the city this year.

The news was reported briefly, mourned on social media for a day, and then disappeared. This is the pattern. In 2023, 26 students died. In 2024, 17. In 2025, the precise number depends on which deaths are classified as "coaching-related" and which are not. The number is always contested. The grief is not.

The Factory Model

Kota's coaching industry generates an estimated ₹8,000 crore annually. Over 200,000 students from across India live in the city, most in shared hostels, studying 14-16 hours per day, under relentless pressure to clear exams with success rates below 3%. The top institutes — Allen Career Institute, Resonance, and Motion Education — operate at industrial scale, with batch sizes of 200-300 students and a pedagogy built around speed, volume, and elimination.

The model works for the top 1%. For the other 99%, it creates an environment of:

• Social isolation: Students separated from families, friends, and support systems at age 16-17.
• Performance-linked housing: Some hostels segregate students by test scores — top scorers get better rooms.
• Sleep deprivation: Self-study schedules that run until 1-2 AM are normalised.
• Identity collapse: A student's entire self-worth becomes defined by a rank in a test taken by 12 lakh candidates.

What Has Changed?

After the 2023 crisis, the Rajasthan government introduced several measures:

• Mandatory anti-suicide barriers on hostel buildings
• Restrictions on testing frequency for students under 16
• Mandatory counselling sessions at registered institutes

Mental health professionals who work in Kota describe these measures as "cosmetic." "The barriers prevent one method," said Dr. Arunima Sinha, a psychologist who has counselled Kota students for six years. "They do not address the despair. You cannot regulate your way out of a system that treats children as raw material for an exam."

The Accountability Gap

No coaching institute in India has ever been held legally liable for a student's death. Families who have attempted legal action face a system that classifies these deaths as personal decisions, not institutional failures. The burden of proof — demonstrating that the institute's environment directly caused the student's mental breakdown — is insurmountable under current law.

Until the incentive structure changes — until institutes face consequences for student deaths, not just rewards for toppers — the pattern will continue. The next death will be reported briefly, mourned on social media for a day, and then forgotten. The number will become a statistic. The name will fade.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to iCall (9152987821), the Vandrevala Foundation helpline (1860-2662-345), or AASRA (9820466726).