COIMBATORE: A 19-year-old NEET aspirant, who had attempted the examination thrice, died at a hospital on Wednesday morning, hours after allegedly attempting to kill herself at her home in Kovai Pudur.
According to family members, the woman -- S Anukeerthana of Park Nagar in Kovai Pudur -- had been allegedly under severe mental stress after the exam cancellation and was worried about her family's financial circumstances, as her father, a supervisor at a Tasmac outlet, was recently affected by the government's closure of 717 liquor outlets.
In 2024, Anukeerthana completed Class 12 from a private school in Coimbatore and appeared for the medical entrance examination, but fell short of the cut-off marks. She attempted the examination in 2025 and again on May 3, 2026. Her family members said Anukeerthana had hoped to secure a medical seat in her third attempt, but the NEET cancellation due to alleged irregularities put her under severe mental stress.
According to sources, the woman sent a text message to her uncle on Tuesday night, but later deleted it. Suspicious of timing, the uncle alerted Anukeerthana's mother, who later found her critical following an alleged attempt to die by suicide. The victim was immediately rushed to a private hospital, however, she died not responding to treatment on Wednesday morning. The body was shifted to the Government ESI Hospital for autopsy. Kuniyamuthur police registered a case and initiated an investigation.
The relatives added that the victim's father -- K Senthil Prabhu, who is also the general secretary of Coimbatore District Tasmac Employees Union and CPM West Town Committee member -- was not redeployed after the closure of the Tasmac outlet. A relative, saying that the family had spent a significant amount of money on NEET coaching for two years, added, "After the cancellation, she applied for the re-exam but was under pressure. The thought of the expenses incurred and her father's present condition added to her distress."
Meanwhile, several CPM members staged a protest on Wednesday evening in front of the Government ESI Hospital, demanding that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan take moral responsibility for the NEET irregularities and resign. The party also urged the union government to exempt Tamil Nadu from the NEET examination and provide adequate compensation to the bereaved family.
(To overcome suicidal thoughts, contact TN Health Department helpline 104 or Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)