Chennai: In a tragic incident, a NEET aspirant committed suicide after failing to clear the exams twice for securing admission to medical course following which his father too took the extreme step unable to bear the shock at Chromepet on the city outskirts.
Police said 19-year-old S Jegadeeswaran, who had twice failed to clear the NEET exams, committed suicide by hanging at his residence on Sunday.
On seeing his son hanging from the ceiling of the fan, his father, Selvasekar, who had blamed the NEET exams for his son's death, also took the extreme step unable to bear the tragedy.
Selvasekar was found hanging at his residence on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, expressing shock and grief over the NEET claiming the lives of father-son duo, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin made an emotional and passionate appeal to the NEET aspirants not to take the extreme step and said all the barriers erected by NEET will come crashing down after "a political change takes place" (referring to 2024 Lok Sabha Polls) in the next few months.
Stating that he was at a loss of words on how to console the bereaved family members, their friends and relatives, Mr Stalin said Jegadeeswaran joining the list of deaths due to NEET was an atrocious incident.
Appealing to the students not to harbour suicidal tendencies at any point of time, he said "NEET, which is posing an obstacle to your growth, could definitely be eliminated and the state government is taking all legal steps in this regard".
Recalling that Bill seeking to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET was twice passed in the State Assembly and sent to Governor R.N.Ravi for his assent, Mr Stalin said he delayed it when it was sent for the first time.
However, due to pressure from several quarters, he had returned the Bill back to the State Government and another Bill was passed for the second time in the Assembly and the Governor has to give his consent for it.
But the Governor had forwarded it to the President "with an intention that it should put on hold at some place or other", he said.
Mr Stalin said a situation has been created that only those from the affluent section could get access to medical education by joining private coaching centres spending lakhs of money.
Noting that government students hailing from government schools managed to get MBBS admission due to the 7.5 reservation implemented by the government, the Chief Minister said he could not decipher as to why the Governor was refusing to understand this.
"There are doubts whether the Governor is acting hand in glove with the NEET coaching centres", he said, adding, "By sitting in Raj Bhavan the Governor is inviting students daily and taking classes like coaching centres".
Pointing out that the Governor could not answer to a question posed by a father of student from Salem during an inter-action on when he would sign the NEET exemption Bill, Mr Stalin said "the Governor stating that he will not sign the NEET exemption Bill only showed his ignorance".
"The Bill is not waiting for his signature and it is now with the President. He (the Governor) has no powers as far as this Bill is concerned and has been imagining as if he was having powers", he added.
Taking a dig at the Governor, Mr Stalin said the Governor's heart will not melt irrespective of any number of deaths like Jegadeeswaran and there is no value for human lives under the tenure of such stone-hearted people".
While stating that let the deaths of Jagadeeswaran and Selvasekar be the last in the altar of NEET, the Chief Minister said "in the next few months, once the political change we are planning happens, the NEET wall will collapse and those (the Governor) who had said that he will not sign (the NEET exemption Bill) will disappear.
He also passionately reiterated his appeal to the students to have self-belief and not to harbour any suicidal tendencies as a bright future awaits them. (UNI)