17-year-old girl from Tamil Nadu commits suicide after appearing for NEET

A 17-year-old girl from Santhampadi village of Ariyalur district committed suicide, a day after she had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

According to the police, Kanimozhi took the extreme step when her parents were away on Monday night, and they returned home to find her hanging.

Kanimozhi became the 16th medical aspirant from the state to end her life, fearing the outcome of the test, coupled with dejection that her dream to pursue a medical education may not fructify.

Also read: DMK govt keeps up fight against NEET, tables Bill seeking exemption for TN

The daughter of an advocate couple, Kanimozhi had told her parents that she was not happy with her performance in NEET as some of the questions turned out to be tough. Kanimozhi had scored 562 out of 600 in the 12th standard examinations.

A police official told PTI that they had received the information early today and the body was sent for post-mortem to a government hospital and later handed over to the family.

Also read: NEET aspirant in Tamil Nadu commits suicide hours before exam

This is the second case of suicide due to NEET in the state this year, after a 19-year-old boy, Dhanush, died by suicide, just hours before the entrance exam on Sunday. This is the third death in Ariyalur district due to NEET in the past four years, after Anitha and Vignesh took their life in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

The ruling DMK government passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, seeking exemption for the state from the centrally run NEET exam on Monday.

(Please reach out to a mental health specialist if you need support or know someone who does. Helplines: AASRA: +91 98204 66726; SAHAI: 080 25497777)

(With inputs from Agencies)