A 22-year-old student preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses was found dead in Rajasthan’s Sikar on Monday, the second such case in the city within a month.
Police said the student from Jhunjhunu was set to appear for the NEET retest on June 21, which would have been his third attempt.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) rescheduled the test for June 21 after cancelling NEET (Undergraduate) 2026 on May 12, nine days after 2.27 million students sat for the examination across 551 cities. The move came after central agencies confirmed that the question paper had been compromised. Questions were available on some phones as early as May 1, two days before the exam. It was the second time in two years that NEET-UG came under scrutiny, prompting the NTA to hand the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Rajesh Kumar Budania, a Rajasthan Police officer, said the 22-year-old student was found dead at a rented flat in Sikar. The student’s father, who works in Mumbai, had rented the accommodation to support his children’s education.
Police said the student had returned to Sikar on Monday morning after dropping his mother at their native village. His sister and brother found him hanging when they returned home.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the student had returned to Sikar on Monday morning after dropping his mother at their native village. His sister and brother found him hanging when they returned home.
{{/usCountry}}Police found a note that purportedly read, “I am going far away. I do not know where I am going. Sorry!” They suspect the student was under mental stress related to preparing for a third NEET attempt.
Another 22-year-old preparing for a third NEET attempt allegedly died by suicide earlier in Sikar. He was reportedly performing well in his preparation. His family said he was deeply distressed after the exam was cancelled on May 12.