A 22-year-old student from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, who had been preparing for his third NEET UG attempt at a coaching centre in Sikar, was found hanging in his room on Tuesday by his family. A suicide note was recovered from the scene, in which the student apologised to his family and wrote about going "very far away." Police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances of his death.
Sikar, a city known as a major hub for medical and engineering exam coaching in Rajasthan, has now witnessed two such deaths in a single month, underlining the devastating human cost of the ongoing NEET crisis.
NOT THE FIRST CASE
This death is not an isolated incident. Across India, over a dozen NEET-linked suicides have now been reported in the wake of the paper leak fallout and the subsequent rescheduling of the exam. The original NEET UG 2026 examination, held on May 3, was cancelled following widespread allegations of paper leaks and irregularities, forcing over 22 lakh students — many of whom had spent years and significant family resources preparing — into renewed uncertainty.
The rescheduled re-examination is set for June 21, 2026, but for many students on their second or third attempt, the emotional and financial toll has proven unbearable. The intense competition for a limited number of medical seats, compounded by the trauma of a compromised examination, has pushed many aspirants to a breaking point.
A System Under Scrutiny
The NEET crisis has sparked national outrage, with students, parents, and opposition parties demanding accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA). The government has since imposed a temporary ban on Telegram until June 22 to curb cheating rackets, but critics argue that these measures come too late for the thousands of students whose futures have already been disrupted — and for families who have lost their children entirely.