Coimbatore girl ends life over NEET retest

COIMBATORE: A 19-year-old girl from Coimbatore ended her life by suicide on Wednesday out of fear of taking a retest in NEET scheduled on June 21.

The deceased, S Anu Keerthana, daughter of Senthil Kumar, a supervisor in Tasmac and a trade union functionary, from Park Town area in Kovaipudur, had cleared Class 12 in 2024 with a high score. She then aspired to pursue medicine and got enrolled in a private coaching centre for NEET.

The girl appeared twice unsuccessfully, but was confident of her performance in the examination held on May 3 this year and hoped to secure admission in a medical college. However, the announcement of a retest due to irregularities in the last examination left her distressed. With the nearing of the date for the retest, Anu Keerthana grew anxious and worried.

Before taking the extreme step, the girl sent messages to her family members and relatives through WhatsApp on Wednesday early morning, expressing her feeling of despair. Eventually, the family members broke open the doors of her room and found her lying unconscious as she had consumed poison.

She was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Coimbatore, where she died despite intensive treatment. Her body was sent for a post-mortem examination at ESI Hospital. The Kuniyamuthur police have registered a case, and further investigations are on.