Nagpur NEET Aspirant Dies By Suicide, Family Points Out At Paper Leak

The death of an 18-year-old NEET aspirant in Nagpur has once again drawn attention to the immense pressure faced by students preparing for India's highly competitive medical entrance examinations.

Akanksha Chaturvedi, a student from Mauganj in Madhya Pradesh who had been studying in Nagpur, was found dead at her accommodation on 20 May.

She had been preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and was among the lakhs of students affected by the cancellation of the 2026 examination following allegations of a paper leak.

Family members said Akanksha had worked tirelessly towards her dream of becoming a doctor. Relatives recalled that she had returned home after the examination feeling confident about her performance and expecting a strong score. However, the uncertainty surrounding the cancelled examination appeared to weigh heavily on her in the weeks that followed.

According to media reports, a note recovered by the family suggested she was worried about having to sit the examination again and feared she might not be able to repeat her earlier performance. Her family said she had invested years of effort into her preparation and had been under considerable emotional strain following the developments.

Akanksha came from a modest farming background. Relatives said her father had taken loans and worked additional jobs to support her education and coaching expenses. For the family, her medical ambitions represented not only a personal goal but also a hope for a better future.

Her death has become part of a wider conversation about the impact of examination-related uncertainty on students. Since the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026, several reports from across the country have highlighted the anxiety experienced by candidates who had spent months, and in many cases years, preparing for the test. Families of aspirants in states including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka have similarly spoken about the emotional distress caused by the sudden cancellation and the prospect of a re-examination.

The NEET-UG examination, taken by more than 22 lakh candidates this year, was cancelled after authorities confirmed irregularities linked to an alleged paper leak. A fresh examination has been scheduled for 21 June, while investigations continue. The National Testing Agency has stated that additional security measures have been introduced to ensure the integrity of the re-examination.

The incident has also triggered political reactions. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the handling of the examination process and called for greater accountability, arguing that students should not bear the consequences of systemic failures.

Education experts and mental health professionals have meanwhile renewed calls for stronger counselling support for students facing academic pressure. They argue that while competitive examinations remain an important pathway to higher education, equal attention must be given to the emotional well-being of candidates navigating high-stakes testing environments.

As preparations continue for the NEET re-examination later this month, Akanksha's death stands as a stark reminder of the human cost that uncertainty and intense academic pressure can carry for young people and their families.