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TN boy dies by suicide before NEET, Stalin promises law for exemption from exam
Former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK for not fulfilling its election promise of abolishing NEET and thereby causing confusion among students
A 19-year-old medical aspirant from Salem was found dead at his home, hours ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to undergraduate medical courses in different colleges across India. The student is suspected to have died by suicide, driven allegedly by the fear of failure in his third attempt to clear the examination, police said.
“There is no suicide note but circumstantial evidence points to death by suicide due to fear of the examination as he couldn’t clear it in the past to secure a medical seat,” said a senior police officer in Salem who did not wish to be named. The student was found dead in his room in the early hours of Sunday.
“His parents were compelling him to prepare and clear NEET. The family also says that he was under pressure,” the officer added. The police have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174 of the IPC and are conducting enquiries.
Former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami, who hails from the region, accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK for not fulfilling its election promise to abolish NEET and thereby causing confusion among students who didn’t know whether the examinations will happen or not. “What happened to the promise of the DMK?” he tweeted.
Reacting to the death of the student, chief minister M K Stalin, said in a statement that the DMK government will pass a bill in the Tamil Nadu assembly tomorrow seeking permanent exemption from NEET. “Let the injustice end,” he said. Since NEET was introduced in Tamil Nadu in 2017, more than a dozen medical aspirants have died by suicide either due to the fear of failure or failure in the exam.
