A 20-year-old NEET aspirant, who had been preparing for the medical entrance test for the past few years, died after allegedly hanging herself at her residence in northwest Delhi's Azadpur, police said on Friday.
Although no suicide note was found at the spot, the deceased's family members suspect that she took the extreme step due to the cancellation of the national entrance test, a senior police officer said.
They also took the body to a crematorium without informing the authorities, claiming that they were unaware of the legal formalities in such cases, the officer said.
“The victim was a NEET aspirant. We are probing as to why she took the extreme step. No suicide note has been found during the investigation,” the officer said.
On Tuesday, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET, held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, leaving about 23 lakh students in the lurch.
A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
A PCR call was received at the Adarsh Nagar police station on Thursday evening, informing that a woman’s body was brought to the Kewal Park Shamshan Ghat for cremation without police intimation.
A police team rushed to the crematorium and found that the deceased was a resident of Lal Bagh in Azadpur, the officer said, adding that the body has been sent to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial for an autopsy.
A forensic team has visited the woman's residence to inspect the scene and collect evidence, he added.
Rinku Sharma, a priest at the crematorium, told reporters, “The family members approached us for the cremation of a young woman on Thursday evening. When I asked them the cause of death, they said she had been unwell for the past few days and had died during treatment.
“When I asked for the deceased's Aadhaar card and hospital records, they showed the Aadhaar card but could not furnish any medical documents, raising suspicion.” “When I checked the body, I noticed a mark around the neck that appeared suspicious. Sensing that something was wrong, I informed the police,” Sharma said.
A maternal uncle of the deceased claimed that the woman had been under stress following the cancellation of the NEET UG 2026.
“She was a bright student and had been preparing for NEET for the past few years. Her parents had told me that she was disturbed after the test was cancelled on Tuesday. She was alone at home at the time of the incident, as her parents had gone out for work,” he told reporters outside the mortuary.
“We suspect that the abrupt decision to cancel the NEET may have driven her to take the extreme step," he added.
He also said that the deceased dreamt of becoming a doctor, and her parents ensured that she got every possible help for her studies.
“She had expressed her desire to join the medical profession when she was in Class 5, and started her preparations after reaching Class 8,” he said.
“She was very sincere. Whenever she faced difficulties in any subject, she would contact her teachers to clear her doubts. She spent most of her time studying and was fully focused on achieving her goal,” he added.
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