TN Girl Who Fought Against NEET Commits Suicide 

Chennai: Nineteen-year-old Anita, who fought against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in Supreme Court, on Friday committed suicide allegedly for not getting admission in a medical college, said police, citing her family.

Anita, who had scored 1,176 marks out of 1,200 in the plus two exams under the Tamil Nadu state board, was however not able to score high marks in the NEET to secure a medical seat, and committed suicide as she was not able to get a medical seat, her relatives said. Hailing from a village in Ariyalur district, around 300 km from here, she was the daughter of a daily labourer.

In a statement issued here, former Union Minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss blamed the central and the state governments for the tragedy. Expressing his condolences to Anita's parents, he said the state government headed by Chief Minister K.Palaniswami and the central government should accept responsibility for her death as they had initially assured that Tamil Nadu will get one year exemption from NEET. The PMK leader said he was not able to understand as to why Anita who took up the cause of rural students against NEET would commit suicide.

In April 2016, the Supreme Court ordered that all colleges in India would use NEET to decide admissions. Tamil Nadu, which has a large number, said that is unfair to its students who are at a disadvantage while taking NEET, which it alleged is more apt for students who study in CBSE schools. The state also argued that the exam punishes rural and poor students who cannot afford the private coaching classes that help prepare for NEET.