'Will become doctor in next life': 19 year old Maharashtra NEET aspirant commits suicide allegedly over low retest score

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In an unfortunate incident, a 19-year-old NEET aspirant from Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar allegedly died by suicide after hanging himself from the ceiling at his home.

The aspirant reportedly took the extreme step after becoming distressed over scoring lower marks than expected in the NEET UG 2026 re-examination held on June 21.

In an emotional suicide note, he reportedly wrote, “Sorry, Mom and Dad... I will definitely become a doctor for you in the next life. Please take care of yourselves and stay happy.”

The incident came to light after his family members returned home at around 2 pm on Wednesday. They had gone out to attend a week-long religious programme being held in the village.

Also read- 19 year old NEET aspirant from Hyderabad commits suicide

When his family tried to contact him, they found that his phone was switched off. His younger sister then went upstairs to check on him and found him hanging inside a room.

After witnessing the scene, the sister screamed, following which the family members rushed him to Vaijapur Sub-District Hospital, and the doctors declared him dead.

India Today has reported that the deceased was preparing for NEET from home in Khandala village of Vaijapur taluka. According to preliminary police investigation, he had been upset after scoring fewer marks than expected in the examination.

A case of accidental death has been registered at the Vaijapur police station, and the police are conducting further investigations.

At least 12 NEET aspirants reportedly died by suicide within a 37-day period, between the initial cancellation of the examination on May 12 and the government-ordered retest on June 21, 2026.

NEET 2026 paper leak

The NEET UG 2026 examination was conducted on May 3 by the National Testing Agency. However, on May 12, 2026, the NTA declared the examination held on May 3 cancelled and subsequently announced a re-examination on June 21, 2026.

This came in the backdrop of the probe by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the NEET UG examination. The question paper series under scrutiny has been described as a “guess paper” which reportedly contained around 410 questions. Out of these, nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the examination.

In the aftermath of the exam cancellation, protests were held, with aspirants and members of the medical fraternity blaming NTA and the Education Ministry for the failure.

Due to the alleged controversy, the central government decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations. Based on the centre's direction, the CBI registered an FIR in the case and has so far arrested 13 people.

On August 19, the Supreme Court while hearing a batch of petitions filed by FAIMA and UDF directed the Centre to file an affidavit detailing steps taken to implement NEET reform recommendations by the Radhakrishnan and Nandan Nilekani committees. The Bench stressed the need to institutionalise the NTA with adequate infrastructure, manpower, cybersecurity and technology, rather than relying on temporary measures.

Also read- NEET reforms: NTA must be institutionalised, rules Supreme Court, seeks timeline from Centre