It was supposed to be just an exam.
One paper. One shot. A doorway to becoming a doctor.
Instead, for 2.27 million young Indians, it became 46 days of silence, suspicion, and unbearable waiting.
And for at least 11 of them… it became the last 46 days of their lives.
Between May 12 — when NEET-UG 2026 was suddenly cancelled over a paper leak — and today's re-test on June 21, 11 NEET aspirants across India have reportedly died by suicide.
From Tamil Nadu. Rajasthan. Delhi. UP. Uttarakhand. Maharashtra. Karnataka.
Different cities. Different homes. The same story.
A 23-year-old woman in Dehradun. Found in her room. A note. She was depressed.
A 22-year-old in Sikar, Rajasthan. Days before his third attempt.
These aren't statistics. These are kids who studied 14 hours a day for a chance that someone, somewhere, sold on Telegram.
The question paper didn't leak on exam day.
It leaked on May 1 — two days before the test.
Floating around on phones. Screenshots. Forwards. While 22 lakh students burned the midnight oil thinking the game was fair.
It wasn't.
The CBI took over. Arrests followed. A kingpin caught. Parliament summoned the NTA chief.
And this is the second time in two years NEET has cracked open like this.
The actor went live on Instagram. No script. No PR gloss.
Just a message, in Hindi, straight to the kids:
👉 "Himmat mat haaro."
Don't lose heart.
"Nothing is end of the world. Kuch khatam nahi ho jayega."
He begged them:
"Main samajh paa raha hoon iss takleef ko," he said. I understand this pain.
A leaked paper isn't just a scam.
It's a betrayal of every kid who believed effort beats access.
And when a system breaks that promise, the cost isn't measured in re-test dates or CBI press releases.
It's measured in empty chairs at dinner tables.
Today, lakhs of students walk back into exam halls to try again.
The least we owe them is a country that actually shows up for them when they walk out.
Himmat mat haaro. Please.
📞 If you or someone you know is struggling — Connecting (Pune) helpline: 1800-209-4353 and 9922001122.
That's all for now!
