18-year-old dies by suicide over NEET-UG paper leak in Latur, claims father; cops launch probe

A farmer from Maharashtra’s Latur district has claimed that his 18-year-old daughter died by suicide due to mental stress caused after the cancellation of the NEET UG-2026 over an alleged paper leak.

Police have launched a probe into the farmer’s claim after registering an accidental death report.

According to the police, Maithili Ashok Sonwane, of Gondegaon village, allegedly hanged herself from a tree at their farm on the morning of May 16. Her post-mortem and other legal formalities were done, said officials.

Her 50-year-old father, Ashok Vitthal Sonwane, submitted a statement to the police on Sunday, claiming that Maithili, who appeared for the NEET-UG held on May 3, had been under severe mental stress after the exam was cancelled following a paper leak controversy. Maithili aspired to be a doctor.

He claimed Maithili had told her family members that despite preparing well and performing satisfactorily in the exam, the cancellation left her disturbed and anxious about her future. She was unable to handle the stress and ended her life, he said in the statement.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG)-2026 held on May 3 for medical admissions following allegations of paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.

The test was conducted across 551 Indian cities and at 14 overseas centres on May 3 and was cancelled after information regarding alleged malpractice was received on May 7. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test.

(With PTI inputs)