Woman found dead in Delhi, family claims suicide due to NEET cancellation

A 20-year-old medical aspirant allegedly died by suicide in Delhi, possibly upset over NEET-UG exam cancellation. Family seeks answers amid grief.

A 20-year-old woman medical aspirant allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Adarsh Nagar on Thursday afternoon, police said on Friday.

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While no note was recovered, her family suspects she took the extreme step after being upset about the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) cancellation.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 exam, held on May 3, following allegations of paper leak and ordered a re-test on June 21.

Deputy commissioner of police (North West) Akansha Yadav said that a PCR call was received at Adarsh Nagar police station by a priest regarding a woman’s body being brought to Kewal Park crematorium in Azadpur. “Police reached the spot and the woman was identified as a resident of Lal Bagh in Azadpur. It was revealed that the deceased had allegedly died by suicide at her residence. The family members were unaware of the legal procedure in the suicide cases and had brought the body directly for cremation,” the DCP said.

The body was immediately taken into custody and shifted to BJRM Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination, the DCP said. “Inquest proceedings have been initiated,” the officer said.

The woman’s twin sister, 20, who works at a retail apparel chain in northwest Delhi, said that her sister has been preparing for the medical entrance since she cleared the Class 12 board examination from a government school in Azadpur and had given multiple attempts. “She wanted to be a doctor. She had been taking online coaching from a well-known institute. In her previous attempt, she was just short of four marks. This time, when she took the exam on May 3, she was very hopeful that she would clear the exam,” she said.

According to her brother, 16, after the exam was cancelled, his sister had told his father that she was “upset over the cancellation as she was very hopeful of clearing the exam”.

According to the family, the woman also worked part-time at the retail chain where her sister worked, and she used to leave for work around 3pm. “On Thursday, when she didn’t come out of the second-floor room, I went to check her and saw her dead,” the sister said.

The woman’s father is a cab driver, and the mother works as a tailor. She is survived by her parents and three siblings, originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur. They have been living in Delhi’s Azadpur for over a decade in a two-room slum cluster.