3 deaths in 4 days: NEET aspirants’ suicides in Tamil Nadu trigger louder calls for state to be exempted

Rising stress ahead of re-test

Gopika, who completed school in 2024, had been preparing for NEET for two years. Relatives said her father worked in a salon as a daily wage worker, and her mother was a homemaker. They said the family could not afford coaching classes and that Gopika had been preparing on her own. She had appeared for NEET three times, including on May 3, and was preparing for Sunday’s re-examination.

According to a senior police officer, she had earlier told her father that she was under severe stress because of the growing difficulty of preparing for the exam, and that the announcement of the re-test had increased her anxiety. On Friday afternoon, after her parents had gone to work and her elder sister was out of town, she was found unconscious after a suspected suicide attempt. She was taken to a hospital in Edappadi and later referred to Salem Government Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Konganapuram police have registered a case.

In Dharmapuri, Roshini, who completed class 12 in 2025, had studied at a NEET coaching centre in Namakkal before returning home two months ago to continue preparations. She had been allotted an exam centre in Dharmapuri for the June 21 test. Police said her father, Ramakrishnan, returned home on Saturday evening and found her dead. The body was sent to Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital for postmortem. Palacode police said they were investigating the case and had not yet confirmed whether exam pressure was a factor.

In Krishnagiri, Vetri Anandan completed class 12 in 2023 and studied at a NEET coaching centre in Namakkal for two years. He had been preparing from home after failing to clear the exam in earlier attempts and had appeared again on May 3. Police sources said he believed he had done well but became frustrated after the exam was cancelled and he had to prepare again.

On Saturday afternoon, while his mother had stepped out to a shop, he died by suicide at home. Hudco police sent the body to Hosur Government Hospital for postmortem. Police recovered a note in which he said he had been unable to sleep properly for a month because of fear over NEET and feared failing again. He also wrote that no one was responsible for his decision and apologised to his parents and brother.

In Coonoor in the Nilgiris, an 18-year-old girl who had trained at a private coaching centre in Salem attempted suicide on Sunday morning before leaving for the NEET exam. She was admitted to a private hospital and was under intensive treatment.

Political reaction

The deaths have triggered sharp criticism from political parties in Tamil Nadu. The DMK students’ wing said it would hold a protest on Tuesday, accusing the BJP government at the Centre of being responsible for the continuing distress around NEET. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said the deaths showed that NEET should either be abolished across India or, at least, Tamil Nadu should be exempted. VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan urged the Tamil Nadu government to take legal steps to secure an exemption for the state.