This article is part of The Quint's Special Project – 'Suicide Mat Karna Bas': Inside The Kota Crisis. Click here to support us to bring you more such important stories.
(Trigger Warning: Discussions of suicide.)
“Barely two months into moving to Kota, Bahadur had a minor argument with a classmate. Something about noting things down from the class board. That’s when things started to go downhill…”Jai Bheem Singh
In the first week of July 2023, 25-year-old Jai Bheem Singh, who was preparing for UPSC exams in Delhi, visited Kota after he received a distress call from his brother. He spent a day with his brother and returned to Delhi.
Little did he know that he would be back in Kota – India's infamous coaching capital – within 48 hours – to identify the body of his 17-year-old brother Bahadur Singh.
On 7 July, Bahadur died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Kota, where he was preparing for the engineering entrance exam – IIT-JEE – at PhysicsWallah institute.
17-year-old Bahadur Singh.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
Bahadur is one of the at least 29 students who have died by suicide in Kota in 2023. This is the highest number of student suicides recorded in the city in the last eight years.
Amid an almost crisis-like situation in the city when it comes to students' mental health, the Rajasthan government issued certain guidelines, in September this year, for the coaching institutes and hostels to alleviate the pressure that students are under.
But for families like Bahadur's, the measures announced are too little, too late.
Bahadur Is Like The Family North Star
Hailing from Faizullah Nagar in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district, Bahadur belonged to a low-income family. After his father passed away a few years ago, his mother, Kesar Kumari, had taken over their small shop in the village.
One of four siblings, Bahadur had been living away from home for over five years. Since he was in the sixth standard, Bahadur had been studying at the Navodaya Vidyalaya in Moradabad.
Bahadur's mother, Kesar Kumari, sighs as she says that she has too many stories to share about how Bahadur was "always only studying."
"He wouldn’t hang out with his friends. He wouldn’t even sit to eat with us when he came home for just 10-15 days during the holidays. He’d say that he wants to only study and not waste any time."Kesar Kumari, Bahadur's Mother
Bahadur Singh poses outside Navodaya Vidyalaya where he completed his secondary school education.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
“Bahadur was a very bright kid, very sincere, and very good academically. He even got a 75 percent scholarship at PhysicsWallah,” Bheem, Bahadur's brother, tells The Quint.
Bheem adds that Bahadur had big dreams for himself.
“He had so many plans. He wanted to become an engineer, build his own start-up, and do something innovative. Sometimes he said he even wanted to be an astronaut at ISRO,” he tells The Quint.
Among his siblings, his oldest brother Jai Bheem Singh (25) is preparing for UPSC in Delhi. Jai Bharat Singh (21) is also preparing for the civil services in Rampur. His younger sister Bheem Priya (12) , following Bahadur’s footsteps, has joined the Navodaya Vidyalaya in Rampur.
“He has gone but his influence is still on our family – he inspired everyone to study.”Jai Bheem Singh
But his passing has not been easy for them. Kesar tells The Quint, "My daughter was very shaken by Bahadur’s death. She was affected for quite some time. Bheem also often cries remembering him."
As for Kesar, all she wants to do now is "just go wherever Bahadur has gone."
But, she has to go on with the daily chores of life for the sake of her other children, says she.
But what was Bahadur like? Ask his family and they just use three words to describe him. Sincere. Studious. Shy.
His mother says, "He was so shy that if he ever needed money from me or his mama (maternal uncle), he would hesitate and only ask indirectly."
‘One Argument That Changed Everything’
Bahadur had joined Kota’s PhysicsWallah in May this year. “He went there, along with three of his Navodaya friends, and even lived with two of them in the hostel,” Bheem tells The Quint.
According to the brother, Bahadur had a “minor argument” with another student about “noting things down from the class board.”
What exactly happened? Bheem alleges to The Quint that in one of the classes, the teacher said that the students could click a photograph of the lesson and note it down at home. Bahadur agreed and said that would help save the class time too. Another student, allegedly, told Bahadur, "Zyada mat bol (Don't speak so much)," said Bheem.
The teacher intervened and Bahadur's ID card was confiscated, following which he couldn’t attend classes.
“He called me to Kota to talk to his teachers. I begged his teachers, the coaching staff, and told them I’ll even touch their feet. We asked Bhim Army for help too but nothing happened. They ended up permanently suspending Bahadur on 3 July.”Jai Bheem Singh
Even after the suspension, Bahadur decided to stay back in Kota and attend the coaching’s online classes. “Two days later, he died by suicide.”
Bheem goes on to allege, “He was discriminated against because we are from a scheduled caste. The other student who Bahadur had had the argument with even went to the PW student committee and told them that he was actually at fault. But all the actions were taken against only my brother.”
The First Information Report (FIR) that was lodged against PhysicsWallah, at the Mahaveer Nagar Police Station on 9 July, after Bheem’s complaint said that the coaching institute threatened to physically 'harm Bahadur by locking him in a room.'
According to the FIR, the coaching centre allegedly forced him to write a letter, requesting for a fee refund after the suspension. At the time of admission, Bahadur had received a 75 percent scholarship and his family had to pay Rs 42,500 for the academic year 2023-24.
Bheem says, "When he was suspended, they told us we'll get a refund with 10-15 percent of the amount being deducted, as per the institute's rules. But after Bahadur passed away, within two days, they refunded us the whole amount."
A case was filed under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code against the coaching institute.
When The Quint reached out to PhysicsWallah, the company said, “We won’t be able to comment at this point.” While The Quint was able to access the FIR filed in the case but the investigating officer refused to comment on the progress of the case. If we receive a response from either, the story will be updated.
There's only one thing that the family wants now – justice for Bahadur.
"Should there be no justice for my son? They took his ID card and they harassed him because of our caste. I hope they suffer from pain too. That’s the only way they’ll understand what we have been going through after losing our son. We don’t want any money or compensation. We just want justice for our son. "Kesar Kumari
‘Dealing With Grief For The Last Few Months’
When The Quint met Bheem in October this year, he almost broke down as he narrated how Bahadur’s suspension gave way to depression.
“Bahadur was worried that his two years would go to waste if he couldn’t join the coaching back. He had so many dreams that he couldn’t bear seeing them break. He was also afraid that the coaching wouldn’t return the fee.”Jai Bheem Singh
Bahadur Singh at his house.
(Photo Courtesy: Accessed by The Quint)
After everything that happened, the family is still trying to pick their pieces up, six months later. But now, there’s another thing that bothers Bheem.
As someone who is also preparing for a competitive exam away from his home in a different city, Bheem is now questioning if he should leave everything and go back to his village.
He says, “I don’t like staying in a hostel now. But I know that I have to build a future for myself. I can’t leave.”
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