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NEET Candidates’ Deaths Amid Paper-Leak and Retest Uncertainty

Amid allegations of a NEET-UG paper leak, the cancellation of the examination, and uncertainty over the retest, a succession of student suicides has exposed the crushing pressure borne by medical aspirants and the political charge of official indifference.

नीट पेपर लीक: राजस्थान, उत्तराखंड और दिल्ली में तीन छात्रों ने कथित तौर पर आत्महत्या की

The Wire Hindi · By द वायर स्टाफ · 17 June 2026 · read the original in Hindi →

It should be noted that, after allegations of a question-paper leak and other irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, the NTA has come under investigation and severe criticism. The NEET 2026 examination conducted by the NTA on May 3 was cancelled after claims of a paper leak; the exam has now been rescheduled for June 21.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the deceased in Rajasthan has been identified as 22-year-old Umesh Mali, a resident of Kari village in Jhunjhunu district.

According to Sikar police, the May 2026 examination, which has now been cancelled, was Umesh’s third attempt. Although he had previously studied at coaching centres, he was now preparing for the retest at home.

According to the newspaper, Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said Umesh lived in an apartment in Sikar with his mother and two siblings. His father is a businessman in Mumbai.

Umesh took this fatal step on Monday afternoon. Kumar said that on Monday, June 15, Umesh had dropped his mother at their ancestral village in Jhunjhunu, while his sister and brother had gone to coaching classes.

According to officials, he left behind a note that read: “I am going away from this world, sorry.”

SHO Kumar said, “Given the gravity of the matter, the family is not in a condition to speak. The investigation will be conducted when they are in a better state.”

This is the second case within a month of a NEET aspirant dying in Sikar. On May 15, Pradeep Meghwal died by suicide in Sikar.

Young Woman in Dehradun Allegedly Dies by Suicideदेहरादून में युवती ने कथित तौर पर आत्महत्या की

In Dehradun, Uttarakhand, a 24-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday, June 16, due to stress ahead of NEET.

According to The Indian Express report, the deceased has been identified as Riya Kumari. She was preparing for the NEET retest scheduled for June 21. Riya was studying at a college in Dehradun while also preparing for the medical entrance examination. Her father is a retired serviceman.

When they found the room door locked, her parents informed the police. On Tuesday morning, when Kumari’s mother found her room in their Patel Nagar home locked from the inside, she told her husband and had the door forced open. They found Kumari hanging from the ceiling fan. Her parents informed the police at around 11:30 a.m.

Ankit Kandari, the circle officer of Sadar, said they had found a suicide note in which she apologized for the decision.

Quoting from the letter, Kandari said: “Papa, I love you; please forgive me. This is not because of anyone’s fau< it is because of my own failure.”

The family refused a postmortem, and the body was cremated on Tuesday itself. Kandari said, “We will investigate whether she was under any pressure and whether she was stressed about it.”

Jaiveer Singh, the in-charge of the area police post, said she had been preparing for several examinations and would remain in her room for hours. On Tuesday, when she did not come out for breakfast, her parents became worried. The family said they had last seen her studying the previous night.

Student Dies by Suicide in Delhiदिल्ली में छात्रा ने आत्महत्या की

A few days before the NEET-UG retest, a 17-year-old student was found dead at her home in Palam Colony in southwest Delhi. Police gave this information on Wednesday.

According to a report in The Tribune, the student, originally from Rajasthan, was living with her family in Delhi.

According to police, Palam police station received a PCR call regarding the student. She was taken unconscious to Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, where doctors declared her dead.

During the investigation, police found a notebook containing a handwritten note. According to police, in the note the student apologized to her parents and said she felt she had failed to live up to their expectations.

An official said a postmortem was conducted, after which the body was handed over to the family once the investigative formalities were completed.

Police said that during the investigation no evidence had emerged relating to abetment of suicide or any other suspicious circumstance. Family members, too, did not allege any conspiracy or suspicious activity of any kind.

It bears noting that since the NEET paper leak, at least five students from various states across the country have died by suicide; with these, the number of such cases so far has reached eight.

On June 4, NEET aspirant Akanksha Chaturvedi, a resident of Mauganj district in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly died by suicide in Nagpur.

Among the earlier cases was that of 22-year-old aspirant Pradeep Meghwal of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. He was preparing for NEET in Sikar. According to his family, he had expected to score around 650 marks and was deeply hurt by the cancellation of the examination.

Another case is that of Hrithik Mishra from Uttar Pradesh. He is said to have taken the NEET examination twice and had been hoping for success this year, but became distressed by the uncertainty over the admission process after the examination was cancelled.

In Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, a 20-year-old woman, Anshika, died by suicide after the NEET examination was cancelled. According to her family, she had also taken the NEET examination in 2022 and 2023.

Similarly, on May 14, a 17-year-old student from Curtorim in Goa died by suicide at his home after the NEET examination was cancelled.

It Is Tragic That the Central Government Remains Indifferent to the Pain of the Country’s Youth: Congress

Meanwhile, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said, “The news of the suicide of 22-year-old NEET aspirant Umesh Mali in Sikar is deeply shocking. My profound condolences are with the bereaved family.”

He said, “Because of the NEET question-paper leak, several students in Rajasthan, including Pradeep Meghwal, have taken their own lives. This is not suicide; it is the courage of the youth dying before the machinery of paper leaks.” He added, “It is deeply tragic that the central government remains indifferent to this pain of the country’s youth.”

According to the newspaper, Pradeep’s family members have met Rahul Gandhi and other leaders. On Monday, they took part in a protest by the “Cockroach Janata Party” in Jaipur, where his father Rajesh said, “I have lost my Pradeep, but there must be a stringent law.”

The family alleges that the police administration threatened them into taking the body home and said that if they did not do so, they would be made co-accused in the case.

On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to launch a nationwide campaign from Kota. The campaign will be against the growing crisis of “paper leaks, examination irregularities, unemployment, and the planned betrayal of India’s youth by the Modi government.”

If you know someone, whether a friend or a family member, who is mentally distressed and at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation has a list of phone numbers they can call to speak confidentially. iCALL, a counselling service run by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, has compiled a crowdsourced list of clinicians and therapists across the country. You can also take them to the nearest hospital.