Tamil Nadu: Ahead Of NEET, A Medical Aspirant Ends His Life In Salem

The deceased had been preparing for the NEET examination for the past two years. He had taken the examination twice and failed in both the attempts. 

Representation Picture

Chennai: Hours before the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday, a 19-year-old medical aspirant killed himself by hanging near Mettur in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district. Police officials have said that he had taken the extreme step because of the apprehensions of taking the examination. 

The deceased was identified as S Dhanush, a resident of Koolaiyur village near Mettur in Salem. 

According to a report in the Times of India, the deceased had been preparing for the NEET examination for the past two years. He had taken the examination twice and failed in both attempts. 

Quoting Dhanush’s father Sivakumar, the report said that Dhanush was preparing for the examination until 1 am and that they assumed he was sleeping in the room. When we entered the room to wake him for the examination, we found him hanging from the ceiling, he said. 

Quoting Dhanush’s brother Nishanth, a report in the New Indian Express said that even though Dhanush had been preparing for the examination seriously, he was scared to take the examination and worried about succeeding in it.

Alerted by his parents, Karumalaikudal police officials rushed to the spot and recovered the body of the deceased. The body was sent to the government hospital in Mettur for postmortem. 

Meanwhile, state health minister Ma Subramaniam who spoke to reporters in Tirunelveli said that the Tamil Nadu government has been making all attempts to get exemption from NEET, legally and politically. 

"The state government will safeguard the doctor-dream of students, as promised in the DMK’s election manifesto," he said. Pointing out that they could not seek exemption this time due to a short time frame, he said that a resolution in this regard would be passed in the assembly on Monday, according to the Times of India report. 

School education minister Anbil Poyyamozhi, who spoke to reporters in Trichy said that they have been fighting to get exemption from NEET and are confident that they would succeed.