Scrapping NEET only solution to stop student suicides, irregularities: Tamil Nadu's DMK

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK on Wednesday yet again batted for abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, saying it is the only solution to prevent suicide by students and halt incidents involving cheating such as impersonation. The Dravidian party's Tamil mouthpiece "Murasoli", in an editorial, said so far 26 persons have lost their lives due to NEET in Tamil Nadu and that the party has been consistently pointing out that the test is "an altar, on which lives are lost."

In all, as many as 119 students pursuing coaching to clear NEET have died by suicide during the past eight years, the ruling party daily claimed. Furthermore, it said last year alone, 24 aspirants ended their lives and the "Rajasthan state government" itself had disclosed this information. Providing year-wise data on suicide of students who had enrolled in coaching centres in Rajasthan, Murasoli write-up on May 15 said the deaths due to NEET continues.

Citing specific incidents of cheating and irregularities linked to NEET in states including Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Maharastra, the DMK asked if this was not a betrayal of about 24 lakh aspirants. "Scrapping NEET is the only solution to prevent suicide by students and halt incidents involving cheating (to illegally clear the test)," the editorial said.

Such incidents underlined include a second year MBBS student's alleged impersonation in Maharashtra and some students leaving the exam hall early from a centre at Swai Madhopur in Rajasthan allegedly to help aspirants still writing their answers at the same centre. This week alone, 24 persons (eleven students and 13 others, who were invigilators, and parents) have been arrested in Patna, Delhi, Rajasthan and Jharkhand in connection with leak of NEET question paper, the DMK daily said.