'No Courage to take exam again': NEET Aspirant dies by suicide in Nagpur

NEET UG 2026 controversy has taken a tragic turn with reports claiming that nearly 14 students have died by suicide including Akanksha Chaturvedi, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh. Akanksha's parents had borrowed ₹3 lakh through a Kisan Credit Card loan and reached out to relatives for help. 

However, the family was left devastated when Akanksha was found hanging at her home in Nagpur on May 20 amid the controversy surrounding the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak.

In her suicide note, she wrote, "I no longer have the courage to take the exam again." And with that heart-wrenching message, a family who had already borrowed ₹3 lakh via a Kisan Credit Card loan and reached out to relatives for help, lost their daughter due to the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy.

Reports say , Akanksha was working hard to pass the medical entrance test so she could be a doctor and assist her family in escaping poverty. Yet, her dreams were cruelly cut short.

Her parents later found that note which Akanksha left, shows how much mental stress she was handling.

Akanksha's Last Note

“To Mom and Dad, you always believed your daughter could study hard and become a doctor. But I can’t face taking the NEET exam again. Although I did well the first time, I have no idea if I’ll do that well next time. I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. This is all my fault.”

Akanksha grew up in Maganiya village, Mauganj district of Madhya Pradesh. 

According to police, on May 20 Akanksha told her family around noon that she was not hungry and would eat later. She then went to her room. At around 3 pm, relatives found her hanging inside the room.

Aspirant confidence turned into…..

According to her uncle, Jagdish Prasad Chaturvedi, Akanksha returned home after the examination feeling confident and believed she would score more than 650 marks.

“She was very happy after the exam and was confident of securing over 650 marks. But after the news of the paper leak surfaced, her dreams were shattered. She went into depression and suffered a huge shock. She stopped eating properly, spoke very little, and remained disturbed. We never imagined things would end this way,” he said.

The tragedy has sparked emotional reactions in Mauganj and beyond, with many questioning the psychological impact that examination controversies can have on students who spend years preparing for highly competitive tests.

For Akanksha’s family the debate is deeply personal

A room still holds the books, notes, and dreams of a daughter who wanted to wear a white coat and serve as a doctor. Instead, her parents are left with a final letter filled not with hope, but with an apology.

Rahul Gandhi reacts on 'X'

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, recounted the circumstances surrounding Akanksha’s death in a post on X.

“Akanksha wanted to become a doctor and serve the nation and society. Akanksha’s father is a farmer. To fulfil his daughter’s dream of becoming a doctor, he took a loan of ₹3 lakh through a Kisan Credit Card and worked as a cook in Nagpur so that she could attend coaching there. A father did everything he could. Then the NEET paper leaked. The exam was cancelled. In that uncertainty, Akanksha left us forever,” Gandhi wrote.

He further alleged that Akanksha’s death was a consequence of failures in the education system and criticised the government’s handling of examination controversies.