NEET Aspirant Dies By Suicide In Tamil Nadu, Sparks Fresh Political Clash Between Opposition, DMK

A 21-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu, preparing for the upcoming National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), has reportedly died by suicide, overwhelmed by the fear of failing the examination.

The tragic incident took place on Friday, just over a month before the scheduled exam date of May 4.

Photo Credit: PTI

According to police, the student, who had attempted to clear NEET three times previously without success, was deeply distressed over her performance.

As reported by ANI, officials confirmed that she had been under considerable stress in the lead-up to the examination. Since 2023, she had been enrolled in a private coaching centre in Anna Nagar, Chennai, to prepare for the test.

Police officials stated that she had confided in her parents regarding her mental struggles and academic pressure. In response, her parents tried to reassure her, telling her not to worry. "She had also informed her parents about her struggles ahead of the exam and was reassured that she need not worry," said an official quoted in the report.

The student's father operated a bakery in Kilambakkam, approximately 40 kilometres from Chennai, after his previous business in the city reportedly failed.

According to police accounts, on March 27, the student returned home from coaching in a visibly disturbed state of mind. On Friday, she spent most of her time at the bakery with her father and told him that she would return shortly. When she failed to come back and did not respond to phone calls, her father grew concerned. Tragically, she was later found dead at home by her mother.

The Kalambakkam police have registered a case and launched an investigation. After a post-mortem examination, her body was handed over to her family and taken to her native village in Tiruvannamalai district for final rites.

The incident has sparked fresh political debate over the continuation of NEET in Tamil Nadu, with the opposition AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami questioning the ruling DMK's failure to deliver on its pre-election promise to abolish the entrance examination.

Describing the student's death as "shocking," Palaniswami criticised the DMK's inaction, stating on X, "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, [feel] bothered by continuing student suicides over NEET?"

The former Chief Minister further highlighted a series of NEET-related student suicides dating back to September 2019, and questioned what accountability Chief Minister MK Stalin would take for the ongoing tragedies.

He also criticised Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, referencing his alleged claim that only the DMK knew the "secret" to ending NEET 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, condemning the ruling party's failure to act decisively.

In 2021, the DMK-led state government passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Courses Act, seeking exemption from NEET and proposing medical admissions based on Class 12 board exam marks.

However, the bill is yet to receive presidential assent. Chief Minister Stalin has blamed the Union government for the delay, pointing out that education falls under the concurrent list in the Constitution, requiring assent from the President.

The DMK has consistently argued that NEET undermines social justice by disadvantaging students from marginalised and rural backgrounds. The party has also cited reported paper leaks in the conduct of the national exam as part of its rationale to demand its abolition.

On the other hand, the BJP has defended NEET, calling it a fair and merit-based system for medical admissions across the country.