Tragedy on NEET re-exam eve: Teen aspirant allegedly dies by suicide in Hyderabad

A day before over 2.2 million students appeared for the NEET re-exam, a 19-year-old medical aspirant allegedly died by suicide in Hyderabad’s Miyapur area, once again bringing attention to the mounting mental pressure faced by students preparing for the medical entrance examination.

The deceased, identified as Sheikh Sana, was preparing for the re-examination scheduled on Sunday (June 21) and was staying with her sisters in Hyderabad. Police suspect academic pressure and stress linked to the exam as a possible reason behind the extreme step. A reported suicide note recovered from the spot stated, “No one is responsible for my death.”

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According to the police, Sana had breakfast on Saturday (June 20) morning and went to her room, where her sisters assumed she was studying for the upcoming examination. However, when she did not come out till evening, they opened the door and found her unresponsive. The family immediately alerted neighbours, following which police reached the spot and shifted the body to Gandhi Hospital for a postmortem.

Her father, Sheikh Jafar Hussain, is reportedly working in Kuwait, while her mother had travelled to Proddatur in Andhra Pradesh around 10 days earlier.

Re-exam decision

Sana’s death comes days after the NEET re-exam was announced following the cancellation of the May 3 examination due to allegations of a widespread paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Rajasthan Police are probing the alleged leak case, which led to the decision to conduct the examination again for all candidates.

The re-test has placed millions of students under renewed pressure, with many having to restart their final phase of preparation after weeks of uncertainty.

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Several student deaths have been reported across the country between the cancellation of the original examination on May 12 and the scheduled re-exam on June 21.

Distress among aspirants

Sheikh was not the only one to face exam-related distress.

In Tamil Nadu's Hosur, a 20-year-old youth took a drastic step at his home on the eve of the re-examination, the Times of India reported. The deceased, identified as C Vetriyanantham, was preparing for the exam for the past three years, the report added. The Times cited the police as saying that the youth faced setbacks in his previous attempts and feared that he might not succeed in the re-examination.

In Ahmedabad, 17-year-old NEET aspirant Kahaan Patel died by suicide on Thursday (June 18). Reports said he had performed well in self-assessments after the original exam and was reportedly distressed following the decision to cancel and conduct the exam again.

In Ghaziabad, 22-year-old multi-attempt aspirant Jatin Kumar recorded a video expressing exhaustion over the repeated cycle of preparation and uncertainty before allegedly ending his life. In Lucknow, 17-year-old Suhani Yadav also died by suicide, with reports suggesting she was struggling after losing confidence about securing a medical seat despite her performance in the original exam.

On Thursday, a 21-year-old NEET aspirant named Avantika Maurya allegedly jumped from a multi-story building in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Her father said she had been battling depression for the last five months. She succumbed to her injuries in a hospital the next day (June 19).

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The reported rise in student suicides has triggered concerns among parents, education experts and mental health professionals, who have called for stronger support systems for students appearing for high-stakes examinations.

Student groups have also intensified protests, demanding accountability from the National Testing Agency, reforms in the examination system and better mental health support for aspirants.