Kin seek justice for deceased, stage protest

Twenty-year-old M Aditya took the extreme step on Saturday evening, a day before the scheduled exam. He had attended the exam twice in the last two years, but managed to secure only low marks.

When his parents Manivannan and Jayachitra had gone to Salem to see the NEET exam centre, where their son was to appear for the exam, Aditya hanged himself at his residence. The family members and relatives, who had gathered in large numbers at Dharmapuri Government Hospital on Sunday, refused to receive his body demanding justice.

“No more lives should be lost over NEET. We wouldn’t accept his body until the government scraps NEET,” lamented a family member. Meanwhile Higher Education Minister KP Anbalagan and district Collector S Malarvizhi offered condolences to the parents at the government hospital.

The parents and family members were firm on their stand not to receive the body, but gave in after several rounds of talks by officials and accepted it in the evening. Aditya’s father Manivannan, who is into selling tractors, had reportedly spent several lakhs towards private coaching for NEET.

Members of opposition parties, including DMK and VCK cadre, held protests at the hospital premises demanding justice for his death.