NEW DELHI: A spate of student suicides in an Indian city has prompted local authorities to order that college hostels be refitted to prevent pupils hanging themselves from ceiling fans.

The town of Kota, on the edge of the desert in Rajasthan state, is a hub of private coaching institutes catering to youngsters hoping for entrance into some of the country’s most prestigious medical and engineering schools.

But the city has gained an unfortunate reputation after numerous student suicides, with India’s junior education minister quizzed on the deaths in parliament last month.

On Thursday the Kota district administration responded by ordering student accommodation businesses to remount bedroom ceiling fans in a way that would not support a human’s weight.