Mauganj/Koderma: In the wake of the NEET-UG paper leak scandal and the subsequent cancellation of the medical entrance examination, two more young aspirants have tragically died by suicide, their dreams destroyed by despair.
Akanksha Chaturvedi, an 18-year-old from Madhya Pradesh’s Mauganj district, took her own life in Nagpur on May 20, leaving behind a heart-wrenching note that she lacked the courage to attempt the exam again. A few days later, on June 1, Ruchi Kumari, a 16-year-old medical aspirant from Bihar’s Nawada met a similar fate at her rented accommodation in Koderma district, Jharkhand, after sinking into depression over the exam’s cancellation.
Akanksha appeared for NEET-UG on May 3, expecting around 650 marks. But when the NTA cancelled the exam on May 12 over paper leak allegations and called for a June 21 re-test, her dreams collapsed. Her family says she fell into deep depression, unable to cope with the uncertainty.
Her parents — modest farmers — had taken a ₹3 lakh Kisan Credit Card loan for her Nagpur coaching. Her father Krishna Kumar even worked as a cook there while she prepared. They were certain she’d make it to medical college.
Her suicide note broke their hearts: “Mummy Papa, you believed your daughter would become a doctor. But I don’t have the courage to take NEET again. I’ve ruined both of you. No guarantee I’ll do well again.”
The family, who had pinned everything on her medical dream, was devastated.
Ruchi was in her room taking an online NEET mock test when she didn’t come out for dinner. Her parents forced open the door and found her hanging from the ceiling fan. She was declared brought dead at a nearby hospital.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, an LIC agent, said his family had settled in Koderma 12 years ago for better education. “Ruchi had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) held last month and was highly confident of securing a seat. She was very optimistic about her performance. The cancellation and rescheduling of the exam deeply upset her. She remained under severe stress despite counselling and family support.”
Tilaiya police officer Vinay Kumar said, “The body has been sent to the Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. A case of unnatural death has been registered, based on the father’s statement. Further investigation is under way.”
Similar incidents of NEET aspirants committing suicide have also been reported from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka in recent days.
As families across the country mourn children who invested everything — including massive loans — into their academic dreams, these tragedies point to an urgent need for a fairer examination system. This is not just about NEET. In recent years, paper leaks and irregularities have cancelled other competitive exams too, shattering students’ hopes.
