NEET Paper Leak Victims' Families See Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation As Step But Insist Justice And Reforms Are Far From Over

Mumbai: The resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has brought renewed attention to the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide following the cancellation of the medical entrance examination over the alleged paper leak. While many parents see the resignation as a step towards accountability, they insist that their fight for justice and comprehensive examination reforms is far from over.

Sheikh Sana's Tragic Story

Among the cases that have come to symbolize the emotional toll of the controversy is that of 19-year-old Sheikh Sana, who died a day before the rescheduled NEET examination. According to her family, she left behind a short note apologising before taking the extreme step.

Her father, Sheikh Jaffar Hussain, said his daughter had been deeply distressed by the uncertainty surrounding the re-examination rather than the examination itself.

"The fear killed her. The fear of re-NEET," he said while participating in a student protest demanding accountability.

Akanksha Chaturvedi's Handwritten Note

In another widely discussed case, 18-year-old Akanksha Chaturvedi from Nagpur allegedly expressed regret to her parents in a handwritten note, saying she could not gather the courage to appear for the rescheduled examination.

Following her death, her parents have consistently demanded action against those responsible for the alleged paper leak. Her mother has joined public demonstrations seeking justice for affected students and financial support for bereaved families, while her father has called for stringent punishment against those responsible for compromising the examination process.

The grief of these families has become a focal point of the nationwide protests led by student organisations, which argue that repeated irregularities in competitive examinations have caused immense psychological stress among aspirants. Protesters have demanded stronger safeguards against paper leaks, greater transparency in examination processes, and improved mental health support for students preparing for high-stakes entrance tests.

Although the resignation of the Education Minister has been welcomed by many protesters, parents of the deceased students maintain that it cannot be the final outcome. They say lasting justice will depend on identifying those responsible for the alleged irregularities, strengthening examination systems, and ensuring that no other student experiences similar distress in the future.

Student organisations continue to press for wider reforms, including greater institutional accountability, compensation for affected families, and measures to restore confidence in India's public examination system.