KOTA: A 20-year-old NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh allegedly died by suicide at her rented apartment in Kota, with police saying she was found hanging from a ceiling fan on Tuesday night. The incident takes the number of reported suicide deaths involving coaching students in the city to eight since January.Khooshbu Patel, who was preparing for NEET-UG for the second time, was found hanging at her apartment in Landmark City under the Kunhadi police station area. Her younger sister Khushi Patel, who is preparing for the JEE examination, discovered her after returning from classes in Jawahar Nagar around 9pm.Police said Khushi found the flat’s door locked from inside. After repeated knocking failed to elicit a response, she sought help from friends, security guards and neighbours. A locksmith was called and the door was opened, following which Khooshbu was found hanging from the ceiling fan.She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.Circle Inspector Devesh Bhardwaj said Khooshbu had been preparing for her second NEET attempt and was reportedly under stress after scoring around 450 marks in her previous attempt. However, police said the exact reason behind her death was yet to be ascertained.Assistant Sub-Inspector Anil Kumar said no suicide note was recovered. Police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by Khooshbu’s grandfather, Deshraj Patel.The body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination on Wednesday. Further investigation is underway.Officials said the ceiling fan in the rented apartment was not fitted with an anti-hanging device. Such devices are mandatory for hostel rooms under the guidelines of the Kota hostel association.The incident comes amid continuing concerns over the mental health and academic pressure faced by students preparing for competitive examinations in Kota.
