Jagadeeswaran, a 19-year-old male, died by suicide after failing the national exam to enter a medical school in India or NEET twice. Jagadeeswaran graduated from high school in 2022, with a total high school passing grade of 427. His body was found by his father at his home in Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India.
When his body was found, he was thought to have been dead the day before. Jagadeeswaran’s father, Selvasekar, recounted that his son did not pick up his phone on Saturday, 12 August 2023. When he was found, his son was lifeless the next morning due to suicide.
Tamil Nadu Police Chief MK Stalin confirmed Jagadeeswaran’s death and called on all students in India not to think of suicide, just live life with confidence.
Earlier in 2021, lawmakers in Tamil Nadu passed a bill making NEETs grant an exemption. Because students from affluent families can pay for private tutors, while students from poor families and disadvantaged remote areas should be able to pass medical tests because their grade 12 (grade 3 high school) final exam scores are above the average ( alleged discrimination).
For almost 10 years, the state of Tamil Nadu abolished entrance exams and required that students under the MBBS program be accepted into medical schools based on their grade 12 scores. Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has forwarded the bill to Tamil Nadu state President Droupadi Murmu after it was passed by the Tamil Nadu parliament.
“Today, the walls of NEET will come down in the next few months when the politics we aspire to bring about change. The system in NEET only supports those who can afford two or three years of entrance test preparation (medical school) money. Those whose grade 12 exam scores are below standard can take this exam as long as they can pay a certain amount of money according to NEET qualifications. They have created a situation where medical schools are only for the rich,” said the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state.