Students stuck in Kota due lockdown launches campaign on Twitter #HelpKotaStudents

Thousands of students in Kota preparing for competitive entrance examinations are stuck there due to the nationwide lockdown to prevent the danger of spreading coronavirus infection in the country. Home states of these students have prohibited them from entering the states due to which they are unable to go to their homes. They are trapped in Kota.

Depressed students have launched a Twitter campaign with the #helpkotastudents and #sendusbackhome hashtags. They are tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla (who is an MP from Kota), Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and others.

These students hail from several states including Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar. They are preparing for the NEET and JEE competitive examinations in the Kota. They have shared more than 70 thousand messages on Twitter, students have expressed their concerns, challenges, dangers and pain.

A student Anshu Maharaj tweeted, ‘We are unable to read and we are not getting anything to eat — we have become absolutely destitute, please help us”.

Another student named Aditya Kumar has tagged PM and CM of Uttar Pradesh. He tweeted, “The owner of our hostel is asking for money and harassing us again and again. We are completely disappointed. Now there is only hope from you”. In this way, many students have expressed their trouble by tweeting.

Lockdown Extension increased problem

The first phase to prevent coronavirus infection was a lockdown until 14th April 2020. It has now been extended up to 3rd May 2020. Living away from family members in this dire situation has forced many students in depression. They are also facing food crisis.

Kota is home to India’s many prominent private coaching institutes providing coaching classes for competitive entrance exams to take admission in engineering and medical colleges.