Chennai: A 17-year-old Dalit girl reportedly committed suicide at her home by consuming poison on Monday night after she failed to clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
Prathibha Shanmugam, hailing from Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu, cleared the NEET examination last year and secured admission in a private medical college. However, since her family could not afford her education, she decided to appear for the test again to gain admission into a government college but failed to qualify.
“There was inadequate coaching for non-CBSE students preparing for the examination. Students cannot clear such exams without proper coaching. Both the central as well as the state government are responsible for her death,” said a relative of Prathibha.
The 17-year-old’s death has snowballed into a major controversy, with locals protesting outside the collectorate’s office demanding justice for her and seeking a ban on NEET.
Raising the issue in the Assembly, DMK working president and the leader of the opposition MK Stalin questioned the state government about the action it was taking with regard to NEET. The ruling AIADMK responded by saying it was looking into the matter.
Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth also raised concerns over the issue. “It is very sad to hear this. I offer my condolences to the family. We should take necessary steps to prevent such deaths that occur due to NEET,” he said.
In September last year, Anitha, a 17-year-old student from Tamil Nadu committed suicide after failing to clear NEET. She moved the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on MBBS admissions in state-run government medical colleges but the court ruled otherwise. Dejected, Anitha ended her life, leading to widespread protests across the state.
NEET is the nationwide examination to select students for undergraduate medical and dental courses.
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