Express News Service
ARIYALUR: One year has passed since S Anitha, an aspiring doctor, ended her life after losing the battle against NEET.The angst her death caused is yet to heal, nor has the ground reality changed as regards the common entrance test for medical education as two batches of students have been admitted to MBBS based on the examination.Daughter of a daily wage-labourer working at the Gandhi Market in Tiruchy, Anitha, a Dalit and resident of non-descript Kuzhumur village, studied under the State-board syllabus and secured 1176 marks out of 1200 in the Class XII public examination. But she could not clear NEET which many consider is tailored for students of CBSE stream of education.
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As hopes of exemption from NEET for students from Tamil Nadu shattered and Supreme Court struck down Tamil Nadu’s plea seeking exemption, Anitha impleaded herself as a respondent in the case in Supreme Court in the case filed by a group of CBSE students and argued that NEET was an impediment to rural students aspiring to join MBBS.
The verdict went against her, and medical admissions for the academic year 2017-18 was conducted based on NEET. Heart-broken, Anitha committed suicide and her death sparked a series of anti-NEET protests across Tamil Nadu.Support and financial aid, including Rs 7 lakh announced by the State government, poured in. Anitha’s family decided to built a library in the village in her memory.
