The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has urged the central government to provide ₹1 crore compensation to families of students whose deaths were allegedly linked to the ongoing NEET examination controversy.
In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed that 11 NEET aspirants had died over the past week, including five within a span of 48 hours. He called for financial assistance to families affected by what he described as the combined impact of examination irregularities and the stress surrounding the re-examination process.
According to the letter, many families had invested heavily in their children's education, in some cases taking educational loans, and are now facing financial difficulties following the reported deaths. Dipke argued that the uncertainty created by the cancellation of the exam and the subsequent rescheduling had added to the pressure on students.
The CJP has also reiterated its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, citing the alleged irregularities in the examination process. The party stated that accountability is necessary to restore public confidence in the education system.
The letter comes amid reports of student deaths from multiple states, including Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. However, authorities have not officially linked all of these deaths to the NEET controversy, and investigations into individual cases are ongoing.
The NEET-UG examination, originally conducted on May 3, was cancelled following allegations of a question paper leak. More than 2.27 million candidates had appeared for the exam across 551 cities. The re-examination is scheduled for June 21, while the Central Bureau of Investigation continues its probe into the alleged leak.
Among the recent cases, police in Dehradun reported the death of a 23-year-old NEET aspirant who was preparing for the re-exam. In Ahmedabad, a 17-year-old student preparing for the test also died after reportedly falling from a residential building. Authorities are investigating both incidents, and no official conclusions have been announced regarding direct links to the examination controversy.
The developments have intensified discussions about student well-being, examination integrity, and accountability within India's competitive examination system.
Sources: Hindustan Times