Over 2 lakh students come to Kota annually
In Rajasthan's Kota - also known as India's coaching hub - two students have gone missing in a week.
Piyush Kapasia from Uttar Pradesh is missing since February 13. A JEE aspirant, Piyush had been staying in a hostel in Kota's Indra Vihar for the last two years.
His father said that Piyush spoke to his mother last Tuesday in the morning after which he did not take the family's calls. "He later switched off his phone," Maheshchand said.
Police said a case has been registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Piyush's parents and a search is on to trace him.
This comes days after another student Rachit Sondhya went missing in Kota last Sunday. Rachit Sondhya was from Madhya Pradesh and had been staying in a hostel in Jawahar Nagar.
16-year-old Rachit Sondhya was last seen entering the forest area near Garadiya Mahadev temple in a security camera footage.
Police said they have recovered his belongings - bag, keys from the area. They are also using drones to trace him in the dense forest.
Rachit's parents have circulated his posters urging the public to help find their son. They have also reached out to Education Minister Madan Dilawar, requesting his intervention.
His family has threatened of a protest if police fails to find Rachit.
Over 2 lakh students flock to Kota annually to prepare for exams like JEE and NEET. The Kota administration is struggling to check student suicides in the education hub, chiefly due to stress over cracking IIT-JEE and other competitive exams.
Four students in Kota have died by suicide this year despite concerted efforts to check such incidents.
Last year, the surge in student suicides prompted the Centre to issue guidelines aimed at alleviating the pressure on coaching students. irectives were issued to coaching institutes and district administrations to safeguard students from depression and stress.