‘Darwaze Pe Dastak’: Kota Police Rope in Wardens, Mess Workers to Help Curb Student Suicides – News18

The coaching hub of Kota has roped in wardens, mess workers and tiffin service providers to help curb the alarming number of student suicides in the district. They have been tasked to keep an eye on any signs of depression or stress among the students staying in hostels and PG accommodations in the city.

Kota police have urged the mess workers and tiffin providers to report immediately if a student is repetitively absent from the mess and skipping meals or if anyone’s tiffin is found unconsumed.

On the other hand, wardens are being encouraged to participate in the ‘Darwaze pe dastak’ (knock on door) campaign.

“We have launched a campaign called ‘Darwaze pe dastak’ where we are encouraging wardens to make it a routine to knock on each students’ door at around 11 pm, ask them if they are okay, notice their activities, and keep a vigil just to ensure that there are no signs of stress, depression or abnormal activity, ” Chandrasheel Thakur, ASP, Kota was quoted by PTI as saying.

“After coaching, the students spend maximum time in hostels, and hence wardens should be the first one to notice the signs, ” Thakur added.

The highest number of student suicides in Kota, 22 so far, has been reported in 2023. Last year, the figure was 15.

“The idea is to detect these early signs. If any student is repetitively missing classes or skipping meals, there has to be something. We want to identify these children and get them counselled before they get pushed to the brim. We have launched a dedicated number on which wardens, mess workers and tiffin providers can give us this information,” Thakur further said.

In a controversial move to keep a check on student suicides, last month, the Kota administration asked all hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations in the city to install spring-loaded ceiling fans instead of the regular ones.

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