(Image used for representational purpose only)
NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old NEET aspirant in Rajasthan’s coaching hub of Sikar has allegedly died by suicide, prompting the Congress to renew its attack on the Centre over the ongoing controversy surrounding the medical entrance examination and paper leak allegations.The student, identified as Umesh, was preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) while staying in a private residential complex in Sikar. According to police, he was found hanging from the ceiling of his room using a scarf, locally known as a chunni.Officials from Udyog Nagar police station reached the spot after receiving information about the incident. During a search of the room, police recovered a suicide note in which Umesh wrote: “I am going very far away, I don’t know where I am going… Sorry.”The body was later handed over to family members after a post-mortem examination. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.The tragedy comes just days before the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, scheduled for June 21, and amid continuing concerns among students following the cancellation of the original exam over paper leak allegations. Reacting to the incident, senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed shock and offered condolences to the family.“The news of the suicide of 22-year-old NEET aspirant Umesh Mali in Sikar is deeply shocking. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” Gehlot said in a post on X.He linked the incident to the wider controversy surrounding the examination process. “Due to the NEET paper leak, several students–including Pradeep Meghwal from Rajasthan–have taken the extreme step of ending their lives this year. This is not merely suicide; it represents the spirit of the youth being crushed by the paper leak racket,” he said.“It is deeply distressing that the Central Government remains indifferent to this anguish faced by the country’s youth,” Gehlot added.
