NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Sikar days before re-examination

New Delhi: A 22-year-old NEET aspirant has allegedly died by suicide in Rajasthan's Sikar district, days before the rescheduled medical entrance examination on June 21, prompting the Congress to renew its attack on the Centre over the ongoing paper leak controversy.

The student, identified as Umesh Mali, was preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination while staying in a private residential complex in Sikar with his mother and two siblings. The now-cancelled May 2026 examination had been his third attempt.

Officials from Udyog Nagar police station reached the spot after receiving information about the incident. Umesh was found hanging from the ceiling of his room using a scarf, locally known as a chunni. A note recovered from the room read: "I am going very far away, I don't know where I am going... Sorry."

The body was handed over to family members after a post-mortem examination. Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar told the Indian Express that a case has been registered and an investigation launched. "Considering the nature of the case, the family is not in a position to talk. An inquiry will be conducted once they're in a better condition," Kumar said.

This is the second such death in Sikar within a month. On May 15, another student, Pradeep Meghwal, who was preparing for the re-test while living in rented accommodation in Sikar, had also died by suicide. His family participated in a protest organised by youth outfit Cockroach Janta Party in Jaipur on June 15, where his father said, "I lost my Pradeep, but there should be a strict law."

The tragedies come amid growing distress among students following the cancellation of the original May 3 examination over alleged paper leak. Students have flagged mounting stress and anxiety owing to uncertainty and the prospect of reattempting the examination after years of preparation.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot expressed shock over the incident. "The news of the suicide of 22-year-old NEET aspirant Umesh Mali in Sikar is utterly shocking. My deepest condolences go out to his grieving family," he wrote on X.

Gehlot linked the death to the wider examination controversy. "Due to the NEET question paper leak, several students in Rajasthan, including Pradeep Meghwal this year, have taken their own lives. This is not suicide, but rather the courage of our youth crumbling in the face of the question paper leak system. It is extremely heartbreaking that the central government remains indifferent to this agony of the country's youth," he wrote.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Kota on Wednesday and launch a nationwide campaign around the crisis. "Paper leaks, exam mismanagement, canceled recruitments, skyrocketing fees, privatisation, scams -- these are the very tools with which it is shattering millions of dreams every day," Gandhi wrote on X, adding that he was calling on students to turn the "rising echo of students" into a "battle cry in Kota."

Suicide is preventable. If you get any such thoughts, consult or seek expert help.

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