“NEET has killed the students’ education,” Elangovan said. “Students who score high marks consistently from Class 1 to Class 12 are unable to get medical seats, while those who pay huge sums to commercial coaching centres gain admission,” he added.

Highlighting the structural inequality of the entrance exam, he cited the case of Anitha, a student from Ariyalur district who scored exceptional marks in her school finals but took her life after being denied a medical seat under NEET. Elangovan pointed out that for approximately nine lakh candidates who cleared NEET this year, the total available seats stand at roughly 91,000.