NEET results lead to death and protests in Tamil Nadu

While a student died on Monday night, another is battling for life, say police

CHENNAI: A 17-year-old woman allegedly killed herself and another is battling for life after consuming poison because they failed to clear the National Eligibility-cum-entrance Test (NEET), which governs admission to undergraduate medical courses in the country.

While S Prathiba died on Monday night, Keerthiga is battling for life, police said. Both the girls lived in Villupuram district.

Tension had gripped the state last year after a medical aspirant, Anitha, had hanged as she had failed to clear NEET. The daughter of a Dalit daily-wage labourer, Anitha had scored 98% in her Class 12 board exams.

The NEET issue led to a war of words between the ruling AIADMK and the Opposition DMK in the state assembly on Tuesday, with the DMK contending that the state had failed to protect the interests of TN students aspiring to study medicine.

DMK leader MK Stalin staged a walkout over the state not seeking exemption from NEET for TN students. Stalin and his allies moved a special call attention motion on the death of Prathiba, and asked for the status of two resolutions sent to the Centre for President’s nod seeking an exemption from NEET for the state. Opposition parties in TN have been up in arms against NEET, arguing that the state, which has the third-highest number of medical seats after Karnataka and Maharashtra, should reserve seats for local candidates instead of allowing those from other states to get admission based on their results.

For nearly a decade, TN had banned the entrance exams for admissions to medical and engineering colleges. Seats were offered on the basis of marks obtained in class 12 board exams.

PMK founder Dr Ramadoss blamed the state government, saying students from TN were at a disadvantage due to the poor foundation provided to them for taking up competitive exams. “TN has around 5,600 medical seats, but why lose medical seats to students from other states? There is no social justice,” added DMK legislator Thayagam Kavi.

Parents of both girls blamed the NEET system. “The results came when I was away. I would have saved my daughter if I was at home. When I returned, my daughter was vomiting and kept saying ‘I will not trouble you any more. My dream of becoming a doctor is shattered’,” said Patibha’s father Shanmugotham.