22-year-old NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Rajasthan's Sikar: ‘Expected him to score more than 650 marks’

A 22-year-old NEET aspirant, Pradeep Meghwal, from the Jhunjhunu district in Sikar, Rajasthan, allegedly died by suicide on Friday.

Family members reportedly said Pradeep was under severe stress after the cancellation of the NEET Exam 2026.

Meghwal was a resident of Gudha Godji, Jhunjhunu. According to the Times of India (TOI), he had been preparing for the medical examination for the past three years.

As per the report, he was staying in a rented room on Piprali Road and studying at Guru Kripa Coaching Institute.

Pradeep was found hanging in his room, police were quoted as saying. They said he was taken to SK Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Pradeep's father told TOI his son had worked for three years for the medical entrance and had performed well this time.

"Based on the answer key, the family expected him to score more than 650 marks and believed his selection was almost certain," Rajesh Kumar, Pradeep's father, told TOI.

Udyog Nagar Police began a probe into the incident.

Pradeep's family reportedly said the 22-year-old had returned to his hometown two days before the tragedy and was living with siblings.

He took his life after his sisters had gone to bathe. He allegedly hanged himself in a room.

His sister discovered him on returning and alerted nearby residents and relatives.

The incident has left the family devastated. “We had invested entire our entire savings, nearly ₹8 to ₹11 lakh, into his education," the father told TOI, adding that the family even postponed building their own house because they wanted to ensure a bright future for Pradeep.

Pradeep is among several NEET aspirants who died by suicide after the medical examination was cancelled due to the alleged paper leak.

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 20-year-old NEET aspirant 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 was quoted by PTI as saying.

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.

Another incident was reported in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur, where a 21-year-old NEET aspirant, Ritik Mishra, hanged himself on Thursday in his house in Gangotrinagar locality.

"This was Ritik Mishra's third NEET attempt, and he was highly confident of clearing the exam this time," his father, Anoop Mishra, said.

He told PTI that Ritik had returned to the city from the village on Wednesday and did not hide the stress and agony he was undergoing over the exam cancellation.

"Ritik was under immense mental stress after the NEET exams were cancelled following reports of a paper leak," he told reporters.