A 21-year-old student preparing to attend the upcoming National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admissions reportedly died by suicide on Friday in fear of failing the examination.
Police said the deceased was stressed while preparing for the May 4 exam as she could not clear the examination and secure a medical college admission in her last four attempts, according to an NDTV report. The student was also attending coaching classes.
She had also informed her parents about her struggles ahead of the exam and was reassured that she need not worry, the report said citing an official from Chennai police.
Officials said her father has been running a bakery in Kilambakkam, 40 km from Chennai, after their previous shop in the capital city did not do well.
On Friday, the student spent most of her time at her father’s bakery and told him that she would return to the shop after some time. Later, she was found dead at her home by her mother, the report added.
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ADMK questions DMK’s ‘conscience’
Opposition ADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said the death of another NEET aspirant was “shocking” and questioned the ruling party’s promise ahead of 2021 assembly election to ‘eradicate’ the entrance exam from Tamil Nadu.
“Doesn’t the DMK, which lied and deceived by saying that there would be no NEET exam in Tamil Nadu if it comes to power, bothered by continuing student suicides over NEET?” he asked in a post on X.
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The former chief minister also listed a series of NEET suicides since September 2019 and asked what answer does chief minister MK Stalin has to these cases. He also slammed deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his alleged claim that only his party knows the ‘secret’ to abolish the exam in Tamil Nadu.
“How are you going to wipe away the bloodstains that keep accumulating on your hands from the big lie you told for electoral gains,” Palaniswami asked.
NEET exemption bill
The DMK had passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses Act, 2021, in the legislative assembly in September 2021 seeking to exempt the state from the NEET exam.
MK Stalin had blamed the Centre for delay in granting presidential assent to the bill, which was referred by Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi as education falls under the concurrent list of the Constitution.
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The DMK has argued that NEET exam is against the principles of social justice and affects the chances of students from underprivileged communities to pursue medical education. The party has also pointed out to alleged paper leaks in the conduct of the exam to demand its abolition. The state BJP has defended the exam on the grounds of ‘merit’.
Note: Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. Those in distress may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline: 011-40769002, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).