NEET paper leak left many young Indians shattered after years of hard work and family sacrifice. Growing up in a remote Assam village with a sick mother, 20-year-old Rema Begum dreamed of becoming a doctor. She studied for years and attended expensive coaching classes. She felt sure she had done enough to get a seat in a government medical college. Then news broke that the medical entrance exam question paper had leaked and a retest was ordered. Days later, Begum was found dead.
She was one of at least 20 students who reportedly took their own lives after the incident, according to local media and activists. The leak and other irregularities sparked nationwide protests. Many students feel the education system is stacked against them.
A month after her death, Begum’s father Rajaul Islam still cannot understand how his “gem” lost hope. He believes the retest announcement changed everything. “After the exam she was absolutely confident,” he said from their village. “But after a retest was announced she became a different person and withdrew into a shell.” Nothing the family said could help. Islam, a fish trader, had spent heavily on her coaching for two years. She worried the money would go to waste.
Admission to a government medical college remains one of the most sought-after paths to economic security in India. More than two million candidates sat the NEET exam this year for roughly 137,000 seats. The fierce competition has created a huge coaching industry. Families often go into debt to pay for it.
In Rajasthan, farmer Rajesh Kumar sold ancestral land and borrowed 1.1 million rupees so his son Pradeep Meena could attend coaching for three years. After the exam the young man hugged his father and said even God could not stop him from becoming a doctor. A day after the retest was announced, the 22-year-old died by suicide.
In Uttar Pradesh, 21-year-old Ritik Mishra took his own life a day after the leak news. It was his third attempt and he felt he had done well. Students who retook the test called the experience demoralising. Teachers say the emotional toll is heavy. For many lower-income families the scandal felt like a deep betrayal after years of hope and sacrifice.
Begum’s father still asks the government to take exam irregularities seriously. He says it is not easy for a child from a poor family to dream of a better life and work toward it.
