After spring-loaded fans, Kota hostels use nets to make balconies and lobbies 'suicide proof'
Kota(PTI): After spring-loaded fans in rooms, "anti-suicide nets" are now being installed in balconies and lobbies of hostels in coaching hub Kota to prevent students from taking any extreme step.
Hostel owners said such steps to make their premises "suicide proof" are crucial to avoid tragic incidents.
Over two lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges.
According to authorities, 20 students preparing for competitive exams in Kota ended their lives so far in 2023 - the highest for any year. Last year, the figure was 15.
"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 Vinod Gautam, owner of Vishalakshi Residency, a girls' hostel with over 200 rooms spread across eight floors.
He hoped spring coils in fans and these nets will help prevent any untoward incident.
"So far, no suicide has taken place in my hostel but we have to be ready. Parents often panic and such measures will give them confidence as they are far away from their children," he said.
Gautam said he apprehended that students might find a way out.
"So we are installing nets made of steel wires, which are not largely visible but are very strong and it is not possible to cut or remove them without professional equipment. The installation of these nets is currently in progress. Such an arrangement is used in various multi-story buildings in Mumbai. It is a costly affair but saving lives is more important," he said.
Another hostel owner, who did not wish to be identified, said iron nets have been installed in all lobbies, windows and balconies.
"Most students commit suicide either by hanging themselves from fan or by jumping from higher floors or terrace. We have installed measures for both to avoid any tragedy. It is bad for business too because once a suicide happens, students in that hostel start shifting to other hostels or PGs," he said.
The coaching hub is back in focus after four Kota students committed suicide this month.
Asked about whether such measures in hostels and PG accommodations can help address the larger issue - stress in students, Deputy Commissioner O P Bunkar told PTI, "We are taking several measures, right from routine psychological tests of children to effective communication with parents."
"However, measures like spring-loaded fans can be helpful in foiling any attempt being made in the heat of the moment by a student. Once that attempt is unsuccessful, students can be counselled and other measures can be implemented too," he said.
The "anti-suicide measure" of installing spring coils in fans was discussed on August 12 at a meeting between Kota officials and other stakeholders. Later, Bunkar had issued the directions, demanding strict compliance.
This is how the device works: If an object weighing more than 20 kg is hung from the fan, the spring attached to it expands, making it impossible for someone to commit suicide by this method. Simultaneously, a siren goes off.
Back in 2017, the Kota Hostels Association had discussed the measure.
But it did not gain popularity with the estimated 25,000 paying guest facilities in the city, where thousands of students from across the country enroll at coaching centres every year to prepare for competitive exams.
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Dileep case: Advocate representing survivor alleges Judge favoured actor
Thiruvanthapuram: A month after Malayalam film Actor Dileep was acquitted in the the case pertaining to abduction and rape of a famous Malayalam actress, Advocate T B Mini, the survivor's counsel in the case has accussed the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese of favouring Actor Dileep in her petition to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, reported On Manorama.
In her petition(accessed by Onmanorama), Mini has sought contempt of court proceedings against Honey Varghese alleging that the trial court judge made derisive remarks about her, including claims that she would doze off during court proceedings and was lax in handling the actress assault case.
Mini, who described the comments as false, contemptuous and defamatory, alleged in her petition that Honey Varghese had unduly favoured Dileep, the actor and producer who was the eighth accused in the case.
In the verdict delivered in December last year, Judge Honey Varghese acquitted Dileep and three other accused while sentencing six convicts to imprisonment.
The ruling drew major uproar, while Mini had refrained from making any public remarks against the judge at the time, stating only that the verdict was disappointing, now she has levelled serious allegations against the judge as the High Court is set to begin hearing the bail pleas filed by the six convicts on February 4.
Furthermore, Mini has stated in her petition that since the very first stage of the trial, the Judge Honey Varghese passed derogatory remarks against the survivor and behaved discourteously towards the prosecution, which eventually led to the resignation of two Special Public Prosecutors. According to Mini, the undue favour shown by Honey Varghese to Dileep resulted in a serious miscarriage of justice and brought disrepute to the judicial system.
She stated in the petition that it was a regular practice of Honey Varghese to pass derogatory comments about the survivor as well as the prosecution witnesses.
Mini also alleged that on several occasions, the Special Public Prosecutor was compelled to remind the judge that such conduct was in violation of the Supreme Court’s directions.
Mini also questioned the manner in which Honey Varghese conducted the inquiry into the illegal access of the memory card containing visuals of the sexual assault.
The memory card, a vital piece of evidence kept in the custody of the Sessions Court, was unlawfully accessed and tampered with, leading to a change in its hash value.
According to the report, an examination by the State Forensic Science Laboratory found that the card had been accessed on January 9, 2018, December 13, 2018, and July 19, 2021, while it was under the safe custody of different courts.
Mini stated in the petition that the memory card was illegally accessed for nearly half an hour in July 2021 while it was in the custody of the court presided over by Honey Varghese.
After the survivor approached the High Court citing a breach of privacy, the HC directed Honey Varghese to conduct an inquiry. Mini alleged that the judge carried out only a perfunctory inquiry, in violation of the High Court’s directions.
Mini has sought legal action against Honey Varghese, stating that when a lawyer is defamed in open court through false allegations, the judge is liable to face proceedings before the High Court. She noted in the petition that although she had a very limited role in the trial as the survivor’s counsel, she regularly attended the proceedings from November 2022 onward.
