Tamil Nadu dalit medical aspirant kills self after failing to clear NEET

Chennai: A 17-year-old Dalit medical aspirant in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district committed suicide on Monday by consuming poison after she allegedly failed to qualify the medical entrance examination. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) results were declared on Monday.

"She consumed poison after she failed the NEET. We have not received any formal complaint yet but this is what we have heard," said a police officer.

Prateebha was a resident of Peruvallur village in Gingee taluk. She had scored 1125 out of 1200 in her class 12 board examinations.

Prateebha's father is a construction labourer.

Neighbours said Prateebha looked upset after NEET results and her parents advised her not to worry. She collapsed on Monday night after consuming poison kept in her home. Her family took her to the Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital where doctors declared her as brought dead.

Actor-politician Rajinikanth expressed his condolence at Prateebha’s death. “Really it is a sad thing to hear. I express my condolence to the family of that girl. We all should take necessary steps to prevent such kind of things,” Rajinikanth told reporters at Chennai airport.

Last year, Anitha, a medical aspirant killed herself by hanging after she failed to crack the mandatory NEET, for her dream medical career. She was the daughter of a poor, Dalit daily-wage labourer who had scored 98 per cent in her class 12 board examinations. Anitha had a filed a petition before the Supreme Court against NEET and her death sparked protests across Tamil Nadu.

Prateebha's death may again spark protests against NEET in the state.

For nearly a decade Tamil Nadu had banned the entrance exams for admissions to medical and engineering colleges. Seats were offered to these colleges purely on the basis of marks obtained in class 12 board examinations. The state government had said NEET exams were creating undue stress and meritorious students from economically marginalised sections and rural areas were not able to afford private coaching, which most students from cities rush for.

The state had earlier obtained a Presidential assent for exemption from NEET. The centre, however, opposed it and since last year NEET became mandatory in Tamil Nadu.

The state government, since last year, had been offering free NEET coaching for students of government-run schools but the overall results have dropped compared to last year, say teachers.

Less than 40 per cent of the students who had appeared for NEET in Tamil Nadu have been able to clear the examinations this year, far less than Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.