SFI, DYFI call for NEET Opposition Day on September 1 to mark Anitha's death anniversary

CHENNAI: The ninth death anniversary of S Anitha, whose death became a major flashpoint in Tamil Nadu’s opposition to NEET, will be observed on September 1 as “NEET Opposition Day”. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) Tamil Nadu have called for protests and remembrance programmes on the day.

Anitha, a 17-year-old from Kuzhumur in Ariyalur district, had scored 1,176 out of 1,200 marks in her Class 12 State Board examinations in 2017, with a medical cut-off of 196.75. She had approached the Supreme Court seeking an exemption from NEET for Tamil Nadu.

However, she could not secure a medical seat under the NEET-based admission system and died by suicide at her home on September 1, 2017. Her death triggered widespread protests across Tamil Nadu and turned her into a prominent symbol of the State’s anti-NEET movement.

Protests planned

SFI and DYFI have urged students, youth and members of the public to observe September 1 as NEET Opposition Day and participate in programmes marking Anitha’s death anniversary. The organisations have called for the campaign against NEET to be taken to the people and for the demand for equal and socially just access to education to be strengthened.

Programmes, including a remembrance event and protest, are also being organised in Tamil Nadu, with SFI and DYFI announcing an event at Villupuram Signal.

“Anitha’s memory is the seed of our struggle, and her dream is the goal of our struggle,” the organisers said, urging people to remember her and continue the campaign for students’ educational rights.

Anitha’s struggle continues

Over the years, Anitha’s name has remained closely associated with Tamil Nadu’s demand for an alternative to NEET and greater State autonomy in education. Her family members and anti-NEET activists have continued to raise the issue, particularly highlighting the difficulties faced by rural, State Board and economically weaker students.

The issue has also remained active in Tamil Nadu in 2026. Anitha’s brother S Manirathnam participated in anti-NEET protests in Delhi and later joined a 12-day hunger strike in Chennai, demanding the abolition of NEET and the restoration of education to the State List.