NEET aspirant commits suicide in Delhi days before re-exam

New Delhi (IANS): A 17-year-old NEET aspirant allegedly committed suicide in Delhi’s Palam area on June 13, just days before lakhs of students sit for the high-stakes NEET-UG re-examination on June 21.

The deceased, identified as Renu, lived with her family—originally from Rajasthan—in South-West Delhi. Family reports indicate she had appeared for her first attempt at the NEET-UG examination on May 3 but fell into deep depression after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the initial test amid paper leak controversies.

Police stated that Renu was alone at home on the evening of June 13 while her father visited relatives following a family bereavement. Investigators recovered a handwritten suicide note from the scene, in which Renu apologized to her parents for failing to meet their academic expectations.

This tragedy highlights the severe mental health crisis and escalating academic pressure gripping students across India amid systemic examination uncertainties.

Earlier this week, 22-year-old Umesh Mali also died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar district while preparing for his third attempt at the upcoming June 21 re-test. Sikar police noted that Umesh, a native of Jhunjhunu whose father works as a contractor in Mumbai, left a brief note stating he was leaving the world. This marks the second student suicide in Sikar within a month under similar circumstances.

Similarly, a 23-year-old woman in Dehradun reportedly ended her life on Tuesday after struggling to clear the competitive medical entrance exam. Investigators found a brief note addressed to her parents reading, “Mummy-Papa, I love you,” and confirmed she had long aspired to enter the medical profession.

In response to the growing unrest and anxiety, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh released a video message on Tuesday assuring candidates that authorities will conduct the re-examination in a completely secure, error-free environment. He explicitly warned students and parents against fraudulent social media networks, particularly Telegram channels, claiming to sell leaked papers. Singh added that the temporary suspension of the Telegram application through June 22 directly targets the containment of fake news and misleading rumours during the critical re-exam window.