New Delhi: A 22-year-old NEET aspirant, Pradeep Mahich, died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar on Friday afternoon, reportedly due to being distressed about the NEET paper leak and the reexamination scheduled for 21 June.
According to his family members, after returning from the exam, he had calculated his score to be around 650 marks and was happy with his performance.
“He was very sad after the NEET exam was cancelled. He was unhappy for the last four years, and when his sister went to the bathroom, he hung himself with a scarf,” said Rajesh Mahich, Pradeep’s father and a labourer.
Pradeep was residing with his two sisters, who were also preparing for competitive exams. His father also visited them occasionally.
“The police have registered a case in the matter. The parents haven’t blamed anyone or shared any details. There is no suicide note either,” said Praveen Nayak, Superintendent of Police, Sikar.
A resident of Jhunjhunu, Pradeep was preparing for the medical entrance exam for three years. He had told his family that the rent for his room had been paid till 15 May, after which he planned to return home with his belongings.
“He used to live in Sikar’s Jandhari Nagar in a private room. His father sold his land to fund his children’s studies, and now his only son is not anymore. The people who leaked the paper are responsible for this,” a relative of Pradeep, who is currently in Sikar, said.
On Friday morning, Pradeep spoke to his father over the phone. The family used to send milk and buttermilk for their children via bus. Earlier that morning, Pradeep had first called home, but the family could not receive the call. He later spoke to his father and asked him to send milk and buttermilk. Later, the family received news of his suicide.
“It was his sister who found him hanging in the room,” the relative added.
Also read: Sikar’s NEET performance has been consistently well. Even when there were no ‘paper leaks’
‘Many are scared’
Around 22 lakh students appeared for the NEET exam on 3 May, but the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the test on 12 May following a paper leak. The development forced many aspirants back to coaching hubs, where mentors encountered hundreds of depressed and demoralised students struggling with the idea of preparing all over again, even for just another month.
The mentors have become motivational machines for the students, so they don’t take any adverse steps.
“I have counselled more than a hundred students in the last four days. Many who score well are scared that they won’t be able to score well in the reexamination. We are constantly backing them, saying that they already possess the knowledge, and they can do it again. Take the NEET exam as the practice test and now prepare for the real test,” said Sushmita Sharma, a senior mentor at a coaching institute in Sikar.
Many parents who are aware of their children’s mental health bring them to mentors, but those who are unaware of the seriousness don’t.
“The parents who live with their children bring them to the teachers or mentors. We try not to let such things happen to anyone. That poor kid was in depression for the last four days and didn’t talk to anyone,” Sharma added.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)