A father's journey to Kota to meet his son ended in tragedy, as he learned of the boy's suicide on his way back home.

Kota, the coaching hub in Rajasthan, has seen another student suicide, with a 17-year-old preparing for IIT JEE found hanging from a fan in his hostel room.

This is the 19th student suicide in Kota this year. Lakhs of students from all over the country flock to Kota every year to prepare for competitive exams and gain entry into India's top engineering and medical colleges.

The deceased student, Manish Prajapati, was from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. He had come to Kota four months ago to prepare for the IIT JEE. His father had arrived to meet him on Thursday, but Manish was not doing well in his studies. He was found dead in his hostel room on Friday evening.

The police said that Manish had hanged himself using a bedsheet. They have not found any suicide note. Manish's father has been informed of his death.

This is the third student suicide in Kota in a week. On August 4, another 17-year-old preparing for the engineering exams was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his paying guest accommodation. A day before that, a 17-year-old preparing for medical exams was found dead with a plastic bag on his face.

The high number of student suicides in Kota has raised concerns about the mental health of students who are preparing for competitive exams. Experts have said that the pressure to succeed in these exams, coupled with the long hours of study and the high cost of coaching, can lead to stress and anxiety.

The government has taken some steps to address the issue of student suicides, such as setting up counseling centers and providing financial assistance to students. However, more needs to be done to help students cope with the stress of competitive exams and to prevent suicides.

Here are some things that can be done to help prevent student suicides:

• Provide more counseling and mental health support to students.
• Reduce the pressure on students to succeed in competitive exams.
• Make coaching more affordable for students.
• Help students develop a healthy balance between studying and other activities.
• Encourage students to talk to their parents, teachers, or other trusted adults if they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

If you are a student who is feeling stressed or suicidal, please reach out for help. There are people who care about you and want to help. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.