Body Of Kota Coaching Student, Missing For 9 Days, Found In Chambal Valley

Jaipur:

The body of a 16-year-old IIT JEE aspirant has been recovered from the Chambal valley in Rajasthan following an intense week-long search, police said Monday. This marks the fifth such student death this year.

Rachit Sondhiya, from Madhya Pradesh, was studying at Kota, a coaching hub which draws students from all over India.

The student, missing since February 11, was last seen entering the forest area near Garadiya Mahadev temple in a security camera footage. He left his hostel on the pretext of an exam.

A search operation led by the State Disaster Response Force sniffer dogs and drones yielded no results until this evening when the teenager’s body was spotted in an isolated and inaccessible spot of the Chambal valley.

The police suspect the student could have jumped from the hill into the valley below.

Earlier, his parents circulated his posters urging the public to help find their son.

The surge in student suicides prompted the Centre to issue guidelines aimed at alleviating the pressure on coaching students. Directives were issued to coaching institutes and district administrations to safeguard students from depression and stress.

Coaching centres can’t enrol students below the age of 16 and admission procedure will be permitted only after successful completion of the secondary school examination, according to new guidelines announced by the Ministry of Education.

Kota has a floating population of nearly two lakh students, some of them away from home for the first time alone and vulnerable.