Tamil Nadu Student Dies by Suicide Amid NEET Retest Stress; Protests Erupt Across State

Coimbatore: A 19-year-old student preparing for her third attempt at the NEET medical entrance examination has died by suicide in Tamil Nadu, triggering fresh protests across the state demanding the scrapping of the exam. The deceased has been identified as Anu Keerthana.

Anu Keerthana had previously appeared for NEET twice and was preparing for a third attempt when the recent question paper leak led to the cancellation of the exam and the announcement of a re-examination. Police have said their preliminary assessment is that the mental stress arising from this development led to her death. No suicide note was found at the scene and a detailed investigation into the circumstances is under way.

Large protests broke out in Coimbatore following her death, with demonstrators demanding the abolition of NEET. The DMK has announced statewide protests calling for Tamil Nadu to be exempted from the examination.

The tragedy has reignited Tamil Nadu's long-standing opposition to NEET, which the state has resisted since its introduction. The state government has consistently argued that the exam benefits only affluent students who can afford expensive private coaching, while rural and economically disadvantaged students — even those who score well in Class 12 board examinations — are severely disadvantaged. For a decade before NEET, Tamil Nadu granted medical admissions solely on the basis of Class 12 marks, a system experts say widened access for government school and rural students. The Tamil Nadu assembly passed a bill seeking exemption from NEET, but it did not receive Presidential assent. More than 20 students in Tamil Nadu have died by suicide under extreme mental distress related to NEET since the examination was introduced.