Lucknow: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday mourned the alleged suicide of NEET aspirant Ritik Mishra in Lakhimpur Kheri and blamed recurring exam irregularities and cancellations for driving students into “severe distress.”
“My deepest condolences to Ritik’s grief-stricken parents and family,” she wrote on X, calling the incident “extremely heartbreaking.” Priyanka Gandhi said the 22 year old’s death highlighted the emotional and psychological burden facing lakhs of aspirants nationwide after repeated disruptions in competitive examinations.
According to the family, Mishra sat the NEET UG exam in Kanpur on May 3 and returned hopeful about his performance. Following the NTA’s cancellation of the paper amid allegations of a leak, he reportedly fell into deep mental stress. “The rampant corruption in examinations is claiming the lives of our youth,” the MP said, adding: “When will this chain of events stop? When will accountability be fixed?”
Local authorities are investigating Mishra’s death. The National Testing Agency annulled the May 3 NEET UG after allegations of paper leaks and has set the re examination for June 21. The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing the alleged racket; raids have been carried out in several states and seven people have been arrested so far.
Amid the controversy, the Union Education Minister announced that NEET will shift to a computer based format from next year, aiming to strengthen security and curb malpractice.
(Inputs from IANS)