New Delhi: A student from Rajasthan who had appeared for the NEET-UG 2026 examination allegedly died by suicide, adding to the string of such student suicides across India. The incident happened after the NEET 2026 examination was cancelled following a paper leak.
According to the student’s family, he was expecting 650 marks in the examination this year. However, after the NEET exam was cancelled he became very distressed, they said.
Boys hangs himself with sister’s scarf
The police have identified the deceased as Pradeep Meghwal, who hailed from Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu’s Gudha Gaudji area. He had been living at a rented accommodation in Sikar along with his 2 sisters. He was preparing for the NEET exam here for the past 3 years, said the Udyog Nagar station house officer (SHO) Rajesh Kumar. The boy had been taking tuitions at a private coaching here in Sikar itself, he added.
Pradeep hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister’s scarf, said the investigators, quoted by NDTV. His elder sister was in the bathroom, while the younger one was at a coaching centre, when the incident happened. The police said that when the elder sister came out and saw her brother hanging from the fan, she immediately took a scissor and cut the scarf and brought him down.
The girl then informed the landlord about the incident. The landlord called the police and both family members and police personnel moved the boy to a hospital. The doctors at the SK Hospital where the boy was taken to however declared him dead.
The body of Pradeep has been kept in the hospital mortuary.
Pradeep’s performance in NEET 2026 exam
Pradeep’s father Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, said that his son had appeared in the NEET 2026 examination conducted on May 3. He told the police that his son performed well in the exam and was expecting to score 650 marks out of 720 and hoping to secure a medical seat this year.
The father however said that after the exam was cancelled, Pradeep became distressed. He was slowly falling into depression and on Friday he took the extreme step and killed himself. The NEET exam is conducted for a total of 720 marks and the paper includes questions from Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Exam cancellation and re-exam
Earlier this week, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the cancellation of the 2026 NEET-UG exam, following a paper leak. This affected at least 22 lakh students. Anxious students took to the streets, protesting against the laxity on the part of NTA.
On Friday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed a press conference. It was announced that the NEET-UG re-examination would be conducted on June 21, 2026. He also promised strict action against those found guilty in the NEET paper leak case.