E-Paper
NEET aspirant severs foot to avail disability quota benefits
According to police, Suraj Bhaskar, who had failed the medical entrance exam twice, took the extreme step on January 17 and claimed that he lost a foot in a violent attack
VARANASI A 24-year-old National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) aspirant in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district allegedly amputated his foot in an attempt to be eligible for the disability quota to secure admission to a medical college, police said on Friday.
According to police, Suraj Bhaskar, who had failed the medical entrance exam twice, took the extreme step on January 17 and claimed that he lost a foot in a violent attack. Suraj is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital and is out of danger, they added.
The matter came to light after the aspirant’s elder brother Akash Bhaskar informed police on Sunday that unidentified assailants allegedly assaulted Suraj the previous night, leaving him unconscious with a severed left foot before fleeing. Based on Akash’s complaint, a first information report (FIR) was lodged against unknown persons for attempted murder, circle officer (city) Goldie Gupta said.
Officers aware of the details, however, said that Suraj repeatedly changed his statement and tried to mislead the police during the probe. Questioning of Suraj’s girlfriend deepened police’s suspicion about his efforts to secure admission to a medical college at any cost.
“In October, he went to Banaras Hindu University and tried to get some necessary documents related to disability, but was unsuccessful. Disappointed, he returned and decided to make himself disabled and cut off his own foot, seemingly using a machine, at an under construction house,” Gupta said.
During the investigation, police also recovered a diary belonging to Suraj in which he had written, “I will become an MBBS doctor in 2026”.
Police are currently seeking legal opinion to determine what sections of criminal law could be levelled against Suraj, police officers aware of the details said.With inputs from PTI
