A 20-year-old NEET aspirant has been missing from the coaching capital Kota for over a week, highlighting the demanding culture of intensive exam coaching and the heavy burden on students in this Rajasthan city.
Tripti Singh, from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was reported missing on April 23. It is learned that she went to write her exam on April 21 but has not returned since then.
Ms Singh was staying at a hostel in the Gobriya Bavdi area of the city.
“A missing report was registered by the PG owner on April 23. She had left on April 21 to write a test but has not returned since. We've filed a missing complaint. Her family has been informed. They are also searching and so are we,” said police official Bhupendra Singh.
“We scan the camera images of train and bus stations. We have also sent a search team to UP,” the officer added.
The student, the officer said, had visited Vrindavan around Holi.
Earlier this week, a 19-year-old NEET aspirant reportedly died by suicide, making it the seventh case of a coaching student in Kota since January.
In 2023, there were 26 cases of suspected suicide in coaching students in Kota.
This coaching hub, which attracts students from across India, has a floating population of nearly two lakh students, some of whom are alone and vulnerable away from home for the first time.