A 19-year-old girl died, allegedly by suicide, on Thursday morning, reportedly because she failed to clear the NEET-UG—the results of which were declared on Wednesday night.
The girl had hopes of getting into a medical college to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor but was believed to have taken the extreme step after she got to know she didn’t pass the entrance exam.
Lakshmana Swetha was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her home in Thirumullaivoyal near Ambattur. She was declared dead at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai.
According to the police, prima facie Swetha’s death appeared to be a case of suicide, however, an inquiry had been ordered. Her death came a day after the NEET-UG results were announced—the overall pass percentage of students from Tamil Nadu witnessed a dip when compared to last year.
Subsequently, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi requested students not take any extreme steps but concentrate on their studies. He also said the DMK government was trying its best to get an exemption for Tamil Nadu students from NEET-UG.
Leader of Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami, however, blamed the DMK for the student’s suicide.
Getting NEET abolished for Tamil Nadu
The abolition of NEET for admission into medical colleges is an election promise of the ruling DMK, which ensured that an anti-NEET bill was re-enacted in the Assembly after Governor R N Ravi returned it. The bill is now pending with the President for her assent.
NEET is considered “anti-poor” and discriminatory against students who pursue state board syllabi in Tamil Nadu, as they are being made to compete with those from CBSE and other boards. Over 20 medical aspirants have died by suicide in Tamil Nadu in the past five years due to the pressure of facing the exam or failing to clear it.
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