India: Students Protest Against National Medical Entrance Exam

Students in Chennai and Tamil Nadu protest against national medical entrance exam, NEET, after the suicide of a medical aspirant.

Students from Chennai Girls Higher Senior Secondary School protested at Nungambakkam on Saturday. They raised slogans: “Scrap NEET” and “We don’t want NEET”. Many protests have also erupted in Tamil Nadu.

Student Anitha from Ariyalur killed herself on September 1 after failing to secure a medical seat.

“Many people have been protesting but the Central government is not taking any action, that is why we also decided to come here and protest today. How many more people should die for NEET to be removed? Students like us won’t be able to get through NEET and become doctors.”

The protesters and the deceased Anitha have argued that rural and economically deprived students are at disadvantage taking the all-India entrance test NEET.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu government to arrest anyone disrupting life and protesting against the court-mandated exam, NEET. 

“… it shall be the obligation of the chief secretary and principal home secretary, State of Tamil Nadu to ensure that no law and order problem takes place in relation of NEET examination as it has been upheld by a Constitution Bench,” the court bench said.