A 19-year-old female student preparing for the NEET exam died by suicide in Coimbatore city on Wednesday. She had sent an emotional WhatsApp message to relatives, citing fear and mental strain connected to NEET.
Details of the Incident
The student has been identified as Anukeerthana of Park Town in Kovaipudur. Her father, Senthil Prabhu, serves as the district secretary of the Tasmac trade union (CITU). Prabhu has two daughters. Anukeerthana, his older daughter, had completed Class XI at a private school in Ettimadai with good marks. With a long-held ambition to become a doctor and help the underprivileged, she joined a NEET coaching centre in the city and prepared rigorously for the exam last year. While she was looking forward to securing admission in a medical college, the Union government cancelled NEET over irregularities and announced a re-examination on June 21. The development reportedly left her shocked and deeply upset.
Distress Message and Suicide
On Wednesday morning, Anukeerthana sent a lengthy and distressing WhatsApp message to her paternal uncle and other close relatives. In it, she described her anxiety: "I had taken the NEET exam and was waiting to join medical college, but the exam was cancelled. Now, I am afraid to take the test again. My father has spent a lot of money on me; I do not know how I can ever look him in the face again." After reading the message in the morning, relatives hurried to the house. When they forced open the door to her room, they found her unconscious. She had consumed poison.
Medical Response and Investigation
She was rushed to a private hospital in the city and admitted to the intensive care unit. Although doctors provided emergency care, she died in the afternoon. Her body was sent to the Government ESI Medical College Hospital for postmortem. The Kuniyamuthur police registered a case, seized the student's mobile phone, and began an inquiry.
Protests and Demands
CPM district committee members held a protest on the ESI hospital campus, pressing for a ban on NEET. Protesters stated that the student had cleared NEET and secured a BDS seat but was preparing for an MBBS seat. They declined to receive the body and demanded that Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan resign. More than 100 police personnel were deployed to avoid any untoward incident.
