Medical Aspirant Dies by Suicide in Palayamkottai, Renewing Demands to Scrap NEET
A 21-year-old medical college aspirant died by suicide at Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district on Friday night after her name did not appear in the list of selected candidates following counselling, reviving demands across Tamil Nadu for the cancellation of NEET.
The student, Shruthilaya, had passed her Plus Two examination in 2023 and had been preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) by attending private coaching classes for four years. After securing a decent score in NEET this year, she attended the counselling for medical college admissions and was hopeful of securing a seat.
After learning that her name was not on the list of selected candidates, she hanged herself inside a building located in her house compound. Shruthilaya had left her home around 8:30 pm on Friday, informing her parents that she was going to meet a friend. Her father, Arikrishnan, who works for a private company, and other family members began searching for her after she failed to return for a prolonged period.
The family eventually found her in a building used as a storeroom inside the compound. Following the incident, police arrived at the location and sent her body for a postmortem examination.
The incident triggered widespread reactions from political leaders demanding a complete ban on the national entrance examination. TNCC president Manickam Tagore said NEET had failed to infuse confidence among the younger generation regarding its fair conduct.
Tagore pointed out that while only 13,999 medical seats were available in Tamil Nadu, 61,306 students cleared NEET in 2026. He noted that the number of students who passed the examination in 2026 marked a 19.5 percent decline from the 76,181 passes recorded in the previous year.
Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi to respect the sentiments of the state and scrap NEET, Tagore said no more student lives should be lost. Former TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai also stated that the Union government continues to enforce NEET despite the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passing multiple resolutions calling for its removal.
