"Provide students mental support and security" - Kota local administrator installs spring loaded fans to curb the problem of suicide deaths

In a move that has been termed controversial by many, the district administration of Kota has decided to install spring loaded fans in all rooms to "provide students mental support and security." This comes after an 18 year old Valmiki Jangid from Gaya, who was preparing for the Indian Institutes of Technology Joint Entrance Examination committed suicide on Tuesday. In the recent past, Kota has been witnessing an alarmingly high student suicide rate. The death of the 18 year old marks the 22nd such death of 2023, and the 4 in the month of August.  

Kota in Rajasthan is the hub for JEE coaching centres, and students from all across India flock to these centres hoping to crack the examinations. While the experts are highlighting the depleting mental health of students under such intense pressure, the district administration has decided to install spring loaded fans to combat the problem.

“To provide mental support and security to the students studying/living in them and to prevent suicides from increasing among coaching students in Kota city, all hostel/PG operators in the state are directed to install a security spring device in the fans at every room, as discussed in Saturday’s meeting.”says Om Prakash Bunker, the district collector of Kota. He further states that these ceiling fans are fashioned in a way that will prevent suicide deaths by hanging. These fans will come with a sensor that will sound an alarm if someone tries to commit suicide. 

Experts say that the cut throat competition that the students of Kota grapple with, has an adverse impact on the students' mental health. In December 2022, the local administration had devised a plan, mandating psychological evaluations for both the students and the teaching faculty. Moreover, all the coaching institutes, hostels and paying-guest accommodations in Kota were advised to give a weekly off to all the students. However, with the number of student deaths in Kota 2023 has witnessed, the plan surely has failed to bear results.