Unbearable NEET Pressure: 21-Year-Old Aspirant’s Suicide Fuels Political Tension In Chennai

Chennai: Tamil Nadu's capital city, Chennai is facing heat yet again after a student preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), allegedly died by suicide. According to reports, the 21-year-old aspiring doctor, identified as Devadharshini, was found hanging at her home. As per claims, the deceased was under immense pressure of cracking the highly competitive exam, which prompted her to take the extreme step. The heart-wrenching incident has once again brought the spotlight onto the issue of NEET and its impact on students.

Devadharshini's friends stated that a bright and ambitious student, had been preparing for NEET for years. Despite her best efforts, she had failed to crack the exam in her last four attempts. The stress and anxiety of not meeting her parents' expectations, coupled with the fear of not securing a seat in a medical college, proved to be too much for her to handle. Her father, Selvaraj, a bakery owner in Kilambakkam, had reassured her that she had no reason to worry, but the pressure had already taken its toll.

If reports are to be believed, in the past eight years, at least 20 NEET aspirants have taken their own lives in Tamil Nadu. The DMK government, led by MK Stalin, and the previous AIADMK government have been vocal about their opposition to NEET, citing that it favours students from affluent families and creates an uneven playing field. The parties have argued that admissions should be based on Class 12 marks, rather than a centralised exam.

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The NEET controversy has also escalated the political tension in Tamil Nadu. The DMK government had promised to exempt the state from NEET, but the central government has not yet implemented the exemption. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has been critical of the DMK's stance on NEET, accusing them of deceiving students by promising that the exam would not be held in Tamil Nadu if they came to power.

The recent incident has sparked outrage and concern among the public. Many are questioning the government's role in ensuring the well-being of students. The pressure to perform well in NEET has become overwhelming, leading to a sense of desperation among students. The fact that Devadharshini's family had moved to Kilambakkam from Chennai in search of better opportunities only adds to the tragedy.