Lucknow NEET Aspirant Dies by Suicide Days Before Re-Exam, Spotlight Falls on Mounting Exam Stress
In a heartbreaking incident that has once again raised concerns over the immense pressure faced by competitive exam candidates, a 17-year-old NEET aspirant allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Lucknow during the early hours of Wednesday, just three days before the scheduled NEET-UG re-examination on June 21.
According to police officials, the teenager had been struggling emotionally since the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG), which was originally held on May 3.
Station House Officer of Bazar Khala police station, Brijesh Singh, said the girl’s parents informed investigators that she had become deeply distressed and withdrawn after learning that the examination had been scrapped. No suicide note was recovered from her room.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG examination, citing allegations of a question paper leak, more than a week after over 22.05 lakh candidates had appeared for one of the country’s most fiercely contested medical entrance examinations.
Sharing details of the family’s statement, SHO Singh said the girl’s father, a railway official, told police that his daughter had performed exceptionally well in the original examination and was confident of securing a good score.
The abrupt cancellation of the test, however, left her devastated.
According to her parents, she repeatedly expressed her inability to focus on preparations for the re-examination and found it increasingly difficult to concentrate despite their efforts to encourage her.
The family resides in the railway colony in Lucknow’s Aishbagh locality. On Wednesday morning, the girl’s parents found her unconscious and immediately rushed her to a government hospital at around 3.50 am. Doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Police were alerted about the incident and reached the residence at approximately 5 am to initiate legal formalities. Officials said the family did not submit any application seeking a detailed investigation into the matter.
The tragedy comes amid growing concern over the psychological burden associated with high-stakes examinations.
Just two days earlier, on June 16, a 24-year-old woman in Dehradun also allegedly died by suicide reportedly due to examination-related stress.
The deceased, identified as Riya Kumari, had been preparing for the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21 while pursuing her studies at a college in Dehradun. Her father is a retired Army personnel.
The back-to-back deaths have reignited a nationwide conversation on the intense academic pressure, uncertainty and emotional distress faced by students preparing for highly competitive entrance examinations, underlining the urgent need for stronger mental health support systems for young aspirants.
