Offering condolences to the family of a student who died by suicide after failing to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Udhayanidhi Stalin reiterated the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to repeal the NEET on Monday, August 14. Following the child’s death, his father had also died by suicide, and Udhayanidhi underlined how the NEET is not only costing the state of its students but also their families.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Minister for Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare and Sports Development said, “Until now, we only lost the students who could not clear the NEET exam. But now, we are losing family members too because of it.”
The deceased Jagadeeswaran, a 19-year-old teen, was an aspirant of the NEET, and his father Selvasekar was a photographer, both residents of Chrompet in Chennai. According to reports, Jagadeeswaran died by suicide on August 12 after failing to clear the examination. Unable to bear the loss of his son, his father allegedly died by suicide on August 14.
Speaking to the media, Udhayanidhi urged students in the state to not take extreme steps owing to examination distress and asked them to stay patient. Commenting on the TN Governor RN Ravi’s stand that he would never clear the Bill to exempt Tamil Nadu from the NEET, Udhayanidhi said that Ravi does not try to understand what parents and students go through owing to this exam.
“We passed the anti-NEET Bill twice at the Tamil Nadu Assembly and sent them to Ravi for his assent. He returned the Bill that was passed for the first time. Due to pressure from the state government, he sent the Bill - which was passed for the second time - to the President for her approval. She should now act upon the Bill immediately,” he added, noting that so far, nearly 20 students from Tamil Nadu have died by suicide following failure to pass the compulsory NEET exam.
In the press meet, he also said that he does not want to politicise the issue or blame anyone. “I do not want to talk about the politics behind the NEET, but I urge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to understand the situation of the parents of the NEET aspirants,” he said.
Udhyanidhi further stated that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) did not even condemn the distasteful comments of Ravi over the NEET, and pointed out that there was no NEET exam during the ruling period of erstwhile Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.
“Even when I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I asked him exempt NEET in Tamil Nadu. But he cited different reasons not to do so. DMK will continue its fight against the NEET exam,” he said. "Now, we do have to fight against the entrance exam in a legal way or have to be on the streets to protest against the NEET, and the DMK government would stand with the students,” he further assured.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.