Uttar Pradesh: Unhappy with her score, NEET aspirant dies by suicide after consuming poison

HAMIRPUR: Distressed over her performance in the NEET exam, a 20-year-old aspirant died by suicide after allegedly consuming poison here, police said on Monday. Shruti Sahu, a resident of Diwanpura locality in Rath town, allegedly consumed pesticide late on Saturday night. She was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Rath and later referred to the Government Medical College in Orai due to her critical condition, where she died during treatment on Sunday, the police said.

Circle Officer Rajiv Pratap Singh said the body was sent for post-mortem and later handed over to the family. Shruti's father, Mahendra Pal Sahu, said his daughter had been preparing for NEET while staying in Kanpur and had returned to Rath around two months ago. He said she was a bright student who had worked hard for the examination but remained distressed over not securing enough marks to qualify.

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According to him, she took the extreme step out of disappointment after failing to clear the examination. The incident comes amid a series of cases involving NEET aspirants in Uttar Pradesh in recent weeks. Last month, a 22-year-old aspirant allegedly died by suicide at his home in Ghaziabad. The police had recovered a video clip from his mobile phone purportedly recorded shortly before his death, in which he said he was under stress over the NEET re-examination.

In another case, a 17-year-old NEET aspirant in Lucknow was found hanging at her residence after family members told police she had slipped into depression following the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination held in May amid allegations of a paper leak.

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.