Every year, millions of Indian students walk into coaching classrooms carrying dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, civil servants or securing admission to prestigious universities. Many emerge successful. But countless others leave with something far heavier—anxiety, burnout, shattered confidence and, in the most tragic cases, lives cut short.

India's coaching industry, estimated to be worth billions of dollars, has become one of the country's most influential education ecosystems. From Kota and Hyderabad to Delhi, Patna and Prayagraj, coaching institutes have transformed entire cities into academic hubs. Their advertisements celebrate rank holders, AIR-1 achievers and record-breaking selections. Hidden behind those billboards, however, are stories that rarely make the marketing brochures.

The issue is not coaching itself. Extra academic support has always existed and will continue to play an important role for students preparing for competitive examinations. The problem begins when coaching stops being supplementary education and starts replacing childhood, curiosity and mental well-being.

For many families, coaching has become less of a choice and more of a necessity. Parents often invest years of savings, believing that admission into an elite institution is the only path to financial security. Students, some barely in their teens, find themselves locked into relentless schedules that stretch from early morning classes to late-night practice tests. Success becomes a number, failure a permanent label.

This pressure is amplified by the country's intensely competitive entrance examinations. Limited seats, massive applicant pools and high expectations create an environment where every mark seems life-changing. Coaching institutes, operating in this ecosystem, frequently reinforce the belief that a student's worth can be measured by a rank.

The psychological consequences are increasingly visible. Reports of depression, loneliness, panic disorders and academic burnout among students have become disturbingly common. Cities known for coaching have also witnessed repeated incidents of student suicides, prompting governments to introduce guidelines on counselling, hostel conditions and class timings. While these interventions are necessary, they address the symptoms rather than the underlying culture.

Another concern is the widening inequality created by the coaching economy. Quality coaching often comes at a significant financial cost, making access easier for affluent families while placing enormous economic strain on others. Even with scholarships and online platforms, many students continue to face unequal opportunities simply because they cannot afford premium preparation.

Technology has further reshaped this landscape. Online coaching has expanded access, but it has also intensified competition. Students are now surrounded by constant performance comparisons through leaderboards, test analytics and social media posts celebrating top scorers. The pressure no longer ends when classes are over—it follows them home through smartphones and laptops.

The solution is not to dismantle the coaching industry. Millions of students genuinely benefit from structured guidance, experienced faculty and disciplined preparation. Instead, policymakers, educational institutions and coaching providers must redefine what success looks like.

Mental health support should become a core component of coaching programmes rather than an afterthought. Professional counsellors, stress-management sessions and regular psychological assessments should be treated as essential services. Academic performance cannot come at the cost of emotional well-being.

Schools also need to reclaim their role. A robust school education system that adequately prepares students for higher education would reduce excessive dependence on private coaching. Entrance examinations, meanwhile, should continue evolving to assess analytical ability and conceptual understanding rather than rewarding memorisation and repetitive practice alone.

Parents have an equally important role. Aspirations are natural, but they must not become burdens. A child's identity cannot be confined to an examination score or college admission. Encouragement, realistic expectations and emotional support often matter as much as academic preparation.

India's demographic dividend depends not only on producing skilled professionals but also on nurturing healthy, confident and resilient young people. An education system that manufactures excellence while simultaneously manufacturing despair cannot be called a complete success.

The coaching industry has undoubtedly helped shape thousands of remarkable careers. Yet the true measure of its contribution should not be the number of toppers it produces, but whether it allows every student—successful or otherwise—to emerge with dignity, confidence and hope intact.

A 19-year-old NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh was found dead in her paying guest room in the Mukhani area here late Tuesday night. The girl, identified as Anjali Jatav, allegedly died by suicide.

Anjali had arrived in Haldwani on May 30 this year to prepare for NEET at a private coaching institute. She was staying in a PG near Khatu Shyam Temple and was attending demo classes. Her regular classes were scheduled to begin from June 29.

Police said the room was locked from inside when they reached the spot following a call from her friend. An unidentified young man had informed the friend that Anjali was not picking up her phone. When no response came, the friend alerted others. The window grill had to be cut to enter the room, where Anjali was found hanging from a dupatta.

She was rushed to Sushila Tiwari Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. No suicide note was recovered, but police found a diary in which she had written, “Ek ko chhod diya hai, doosre ko nahi chhodungi.”

The cryptic line has left investigators looking for more answers. Anjali’s family has been informed and is expected to reach Haldwani on Thursday, after which the postmortem will be conducted.

Anjali hailed from Manpura Kolaras in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. Her father Raghubeer Jatav sent her to Haldwani following the success of her elder brother, who cleared NEET from the same coaching centre and is currently studying at AIIMS Bhopal.

SP City Manoj Katiyal said the girl’s mobile phone has been seized. Police are examining her call records, social media activity and Google search history. Efforts are also on to trace the youth who called her friend late Tuesday night.

The case has been registered at Mukhani police station. No complaint has been filed by the family yet. Police are waiting for their arrival before taking further steps.

This incident has once again drawn attention to the immense pressure faced by students preparing for competitive exams away from home. Coming to a new city, living alone in PGs, and dealing with the uncertainty of entrance tests often takes a heavy toll on young minds. Many students from smaller towns and rural areas move to coaching hubs like Haldwani, Kota or Delhi with big dreams, but the isolation and academic stress can prove overwhelming.

Local residents and coaching institutes expressed shock over the incident. Anjali’s batchmates said she was attending demo classes and appeared normal in the initial days. No one had noticed any signs of distress, they claimed.

Uttarakhand has seen several cases of student suicides in recent years, particularly in education hubs like Haldwani and Dehradun. The state government has time and again appealed to coaching centres to keep a close watch on the mental health of outstation students and set up counselling facilities.

Police have appealed to anyone with information about Anjali’s last few days to come forward. The investigation is ongoing and further details are expected once the family arrives and the postmortem report is available.

The diary entry has added a layer of mystery to the case. Investigators are trying to understand who the “one” and “other” mentioned in the note refer to. Whether it points to personal issues, academic pressure or something else will only become clearer after detailed questioning and digital forensic examination.

For now, the bustling coaching town of Haldwani is once again grappling with the tragic loss of a young life. As the monsoon clouds gather over the hills, the news has left many students and parents uneasy.

Authorities said they will review security and counselling measures at PGs and coaching centres in the area to prevent such incidents in future.

The Cockroach Janata Party has placed posters of students who died by suicide following the NEET paper leak, demanding ₹1 crore compensation for each family.

Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke arrived at the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi on Saturday, with organizers displaying posters of NEET aspirants who have died by suicide following the examination paper leak controversy.

Delhi Police has granted permission for the protest, which has drawn a significant turnout according to early visuals from the site. The demonstration comes amid growing outrage over student suicides linked to the NEET paper leak, with 13 such deaths reported across the country in the past 38 days.

Dipke's Letter to PM Modi

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Dipke demanded ₹1 crore compensation for the families of each student who died by suicide. He also called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"The atmosphere in the country is affecting the lives and mental health of youth," Dipke wrote in the letter, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Despite re-exams being held, student suicides have not stopped, and the government should focus on the real problem, he said. Dipke warned that if no action is taken, frustration among students and parents may increase further.

The Five Key Demands

The CJP has outlined five key demands in its protest:

1. Immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

2. ₹1 crore compensation for families of students who died by suicide

3. Comprehensive investigation into the NEET paper leak

4. Systemic reforms in the examination process

5. Mental health support for students preparing for competitive exams

Background: The Birth of CJP

The Cockroach Janta Party was launched after a controversial remark by Justice Suryakant during a court hearing on May 15, when he reportedly compared some unemployed youths to "cockroaches" who challenge the system through media, social media or RTI activism.

A day later, US-based Abhijeet Dipke launched the CJP and created social media accounts for the movement. The 30-year-old is a digital media strategist from Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra, who studied journalism in Pune and is currently pursuing a master's degree in public relations at Boston University.

On May 22, the group started an online petition seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, which it claimed received support from more than 800,000 people.

Social Media Surge

The party's social media presence grew rapidly. By June 10, its Instagram account had reportedly crossed 22.7 million followers, though the number has since fallen by around 200,000. Even after the decline, CJP's follower count remains higher than that of both the BJP and the Congress on Instagram. The group also has around 279,000 followers on X.

Appeal to Political Leaders

Dipke appealed to political leaders concerned about students' future to come forward in support. "Whatever political leaders are concerned about the future of students and believe that paper leaks are damaging the country's education system, they should come forward in support of students," he said.

He confirmed that he has not had any conversation with Rahul Gandhi regarding the issue. Dipke also criticized the political class, saying leaders have money to win over MLAs and MPs but not to help students' families.

"The education system is gradually turning into a business, and public representatives are more interested in running private institutions rather than strengthening government schools," he said.

The Toll on Students

The protest comes amid a heartbreaking toll. In the past 38 days, 13 students related to the NEET exam have died by suicide across the country. In Indore, a female student preparing for NEET fell from the third floor late Thursday night and died on Friday morning. A video of the student's fall has also surfaced.

Previous Protests

The CJP has previously held demonstrations at Jantar Mantar on June 6. The party has also organized protests in Pune, Lucknow, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Nagpur so far.

Saturday's protest at Jantar Mantar has seen a better turnout than the previous demonstration, according to reports from the site. Supporters were seen waving the Indian flag and party flags during the protest, carrying CJP posters and placards demanding justice for students.

An MBA student at a university hostel in Rewa attempted suicide on Monday afternoon after allegedly hanging herself in her room, police and hospital officials said. Classmates and hostel staff discovered her and rushed her down from the noose before taking her to the district hospital; she has since been shifted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital with serious injuries.

According to Additional SP Sandeep Mishra, the student — who lives in the government-run hostel attached to the university — was found unconscious in her room. “She attempted suicide by hanging. Fellow students and staff intervened in time and brought her down. She was taken to the district hospital and later referred to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where treatment is ongoing,” Mishra said. He added that the police have begun an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the attempt.

University police and local officers reached the hostel after receiving information and have been questioning classmates, hostel staff and other related persons to reconstruct the sequence of events. Preliminary probes have not yet established a clear motive behind the attempt, officials said. Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.

Students on the hostel wing said the rescue was immediate. “We saw her hanging and shouted; some of us ran in and managed to pull her down,” one student said on condition of anonymity. Staff members at the hostel also assisted in taking her to the hospital. Both classmates and staff are being spoken to by police as part of the ongoing inquiry.

Hospital authorities confirmed the student is under treatment and described her condition as critical. They declined to provide medical specifics citing patient confidentiality but said she is receiving necessary care. The police are expected to seek statements from the student’s family as they try to determine whether there were personal, academic or other pressures that prompted the attempt.

Mental-health experts say timely intervention in such situations often makes the difference between life and death. “Peer vigilance and quick action saved her life,” said a psychiatrist familiar with college mental-health issues, speaking generally about campus incidents. Experts also urged universities and hostels to strengthen counselling, helplines and awareness programmes so students under stress know where to turn before crises occur.

This incident comes amid broader concerns about student well‑being on campuses across India, where academic pressure, personal issues and limited access to counselling can contribute to mental-health crises. University officials did not issue a detailed statement at the time of filing, but sources said administrators are cooperating with police and reviewing hostel safety procedures.

Police stressed that they will not rule out any angle during the investigation. Officers said they will examine CCTV footage, interview witnesses and contact the student’s family to piece together events that preceded the attempt. The investigation aims both to identify immediate causes and to recommend measures that could prevent similar incidents in future.

For now, classmates remain shaken. Several have urged the university to provide counselling for students and to ensure better monitoring in hostels. The student’s condition and the outcome of the police probe will determine whether further legal or administrative action is required.