A 19-year-old medical aspirant allegedly died by suicide in his house in Choolaimedu in Chennai on Thursday, June 30 because he was ‘depressed’ as he was unable to choose the right path in education.
The police said that the student, who wanted to become a doctor, hung himself when he was alone at home, as stated in a report by PTI. They also said that he had put out a video message for his friends that he had decided to end his life before taking the extreme measure.
“No one is responsible for my death. I wanted to become a doctor… became depressed as I could not choose the right path in education,” he said in the video.
His mother, who is a housemaid, returned home to find her son hanging. He was immediately rushed to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. A case was registered and an investigation is on, the police added.
This is not the first case of NEET-related suicide in the state. In fact, more than 20 NEET aspirants have died by suicide in the last few years as they failed to secure the required marks in the NEET exam for admission to medical colleges, according to reports.
Tamil Nadu has also voiced its opposition to the exam on multiple occasions. The state earlier followed a system for nearly 10 years, wherein, medical admissions were given only on the basis of Class XII marks. The Tamil Nadu Assembly also passed a bill in September last year, that sought for an exemption for the state from the NEET exam but it was returned by the Governor in February 2022. While the assembly readopted it a week later and the Governor forwarded it in May to the President, he is yet to give his assent.
If you need help or know someone who does, reach out to some of the following helpline numbers:
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health - 9999666555 or help@vandrevalafoundation.com
AASRA - 9820466726 or aasrahelpline@yahoo.com
Tamil Nadu government NEET helpline number - 104
Connecting NGO - 9922004305, 9922001122 or distressmailsconnecting@gmail.
TISS iCall - 022-25521111