Jaipur:

The SHO of Jasrasar Police Station of Bikaner was manhandled over a land dispute in Rajasthan’s Bikaner on Monday, officials said.

Five accused, including a woman, have been arrested, Bikaner SP Tejaswani Gautam said.

The woman is alleged to have grabbed SHO Sandeep Kumar by the neck and manhandled him.

The SP said that the Zila Parishad had allotted a government land for a building of Jasrasar Police Station and after demarcation, a fencing was done by the police. Since a budget was not allotted for the building, construction is yet to begin, she said.

Meanwhile, a family approached the high court challenging the Zila Parishad’s decision to allot the land, claiming the land belonged to them. The court had ordered a stay on the matter, the officer said.

“Today, the SHO of Jasrasar got information that the family was removing the fencing so he reached the spot and objected but the family members started manhandling the SHO, Gautam said.

A woman caught the SHO from behind and manhandled him, she said.

The SP said that additional policemen were rushed to the spot to handle the situation. Four men and one woman have been arrested for the attack and the matter is being investigated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Four people were killed and over 20 injured in a collision between a mini bus and a car in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district on Monday, police said.

The accident occurred near Thali village when an uncontrolled car, after hitting a motorcycle, rammed into a minibus, Singhana SHO Kailash Chand Yadav said.

Car passengers — Karanveer (27), Rinku (25) and Rahul (19) — a motorcyclist, Suresh (40), and minibus driver Hanuman (45) died on the spot, he said.

The car was on its way to Singhana in Jhunjhunu, the SHO said, adding that over 20 people got injured in the accident.

Some are being treated at a hospital in Singhana while some have been referred to Jhunjhunu, he said.

In another accident in Tonk district, an uncontrolled car collided with a truck after hitting the divider late Sunday evening, police said.

Both vehicles overturned on the roadside due the impact of the accident, they said.

Two friends — Pradhuman (20) and Ayush (20) — travelling in the car died on the spot and three others got injured.

The injured, Rajukumar (20), Rudresh (22) and Surrender (25), were referred to a hospital in Kota late at night in critical condition, police said.

The bodies were handed over to the families after post-mortem on Monday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

A man in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district allegedly thrashed his 17-year-old daughter to death for not preparing for her school examinations, police said on Saturday.

Accused Fateh Mohammad (42), a resident of Prem Nagar, has been arrested, Deputy Superintendent of Police Pushpendra Verma said.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Mohammad was angry with his daughter, a class 11 student, for not studying for her exams. So, he beat her up with a stick on Thursday, he said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the girl’s uncle, the accused father was arrested on Saturday and the murder weapon was recovered.

According to the DSP, the girl probably died due to internal injuries, however the exact cause of death will be revealed after the post-mortem report comes. 

Jaipur:

A gang rape victim allegedly died by suicide at her home in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar, police said on Friday.

The woman’s family and some locals staged a protest outside the mortuary of the hospital where the victim’s body was kept and demanded action against policemen for laxity and compensation.

SP Sri Ganganagar Gaurav Yadav said the woman had attempted suicide a few days ago as well and was saved by her family. Only after this, she revealed about the gang-rape and an FIR was lodged on March 25.

The next day, two accused were arrested and subsequently the third was also arrested.

According to the police, the woman hanged herself in her house and her body was recovered on Thursday morning.

SP Yadav said the family ended their protest and agreed to a post-mortem after they were pacified by the police.

“They have now agreed for a post-mortem,” he said.

A detailed investigation of the family’s allegations will be done and action against the guilty policeman will be taken, SP Yadav said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur:

Three labourers died after they were buried under sand at a construction site in Jaipur on Monday, police said.

The labourers were identified as Ramjanm Singh (35) and Prem Singh (30), both residents of Jharkhand, and Irshad Alam (23), a resident of Bihar, they said.

Station House Officer, Ramnagaria, Arun Kumar said the three labourers died when a mound of sand fell on them at a construction site in the Jagatpura area.

While Ramjanm Singh died on the spot, the other two died during treatment at a hospital, he said.

The bodies have been kept at the hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination and their family members have been informed, the SHO said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kota:

In Rajasthan’s Kota — India’s coaching district for aspiring engineers and doctors — two suicides within four hours on Sunday took the tally this year to 23, the highest ever recorded.

Avishkar Shambaji Kasle, 17, from Maharashtra and Adarsh Raj, 18, from Bihar both died in two separate incidents in the city on Sunday. The former jumped from the sixth floor of his coaching institute’s building while the latter hanged himself at his rented apartment.

In 2023, there have already been 23 suicides, compared to 15 in 2022. December 2022 was the deadliest month, with three suicides in a single day. Data shows that the number of suicides has increased by 60% since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that jump in deaths is due to the fact that the number of students in Kota declined in 2019 and 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

In 2017, 10 students ended their lives in the city compared to 12 in 2018 and nine in 2021.

Speaking to NDTV, Dr Bharat Singh Shekhawat, head of the psychiatry department at Kota Medical College, said that there needs to be a comprehensive change in the approach of both the coaching institutes and the parents to curb the alarming rate of student deaths.

“The number of suicides by students in Kota is the highest this year. We have been presenting suggestions to the Rajasthan government for 20 years, but no action has been taken,” Dr Shekhawat told NDTV.

“During the COVID-19 lockdown, there was no pressure on students as they had the support of their families and were at home. However, after the lockdown, the pressure has returned, and that umbrella support has gone.

“Students who are admitted to coaching institutes at the age of 15 or 16 are too young. They miss out on the benefits of school, such as extracurricular activities and friendships. They are also under a lot of stress due to the rigorous coaching schedule.”

Dr Shekhawat suggested a minimum age for admission at Kota’s coaching institutes so that the students are not thrown into the rigours of academia before they have matured.

“Coaching institutes should also regulate the coaching industry and ensure that the institutes provide a healthy and supportive environment for students,” he said.

Every year, over 2 lakh students move to Kota to prepare for competitive exams such as the JEE and NEET. Following the recent surge in student suicides, authorities have asked coaching institutes to suspend routine tests for the next two months.

In an effort to combat the increasing number of suicides, spring-loaded fans were installed in all hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations in Kota. “Anti-suicide nets” are also being installed in balconies and lobbies of hostels so that students cannot jump to their deaths.

Hostel owners have said that the exercise to install nets and spring-loaded fans is being carried out with the aim of making their premises “suicide-proof”.

“We have installed huge nets in all lobbies and balconies to block students in case they jump from higher floors. These nets can hold weight up to 150 kg and also ensure that students do not get injured,” said a hostel owner, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Authorities have also passed directions to provide mental health support to students.