Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and state BJP chief K Annamalai expressed grief and urged students to not take the extreme step.
NEET aspirant Jagadeeswaran who ended his life. (Supplied)
Hours after performing the final rites of his son, a single father allegedly died by suicide in Chennai’s Chrompet on Monday, 14 August.
Selva Sekar, a 48-year-old event photographer, reportedly chose to end his life a day after his 19-year-old son S Jagadeeswaran died by suicide after allegedly failing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) twice in the past two years.
On Sunday, possibly a few hours before the suicide, Selva Sekar talked to television channels, blaming NEET and saying that the national medical entrance examination favoured only the rich.
Jagadeeswaran, who scored 85 percent in the Class 12 examinations in 2022, couldn’t crack NEET.
As he couldn’t succeed in the second attempt this year, he was dejected and ended his life, according to the Chitlapakkam police.
On Saturday, as Jagadeeswaran did not attend calls, his father alerted the maid to check on him. The maid found the NEET aspirant dead.
The Chitlapakkam police told South First that Selva Sekar separated from his wife years ago, and had been living with his son at Kurinji Nagar in the Chrompet area of Chennai.
He was inconsolable and emotional after the demise of his son, the neighbours told the Chitlapakkam police.
On Monday morning, it was the same maid who found Selva Sekar dead in the house.
The Chitlapakkam Police sent the body to the Chrompet General Hospital for post-mortem investigation. Further enquiry is on.
Offering his deepest condolences on the demise of Jagadeeswaran and Selva Sekar, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that their deaths would be the last on the altar of NEET.
Underlining the fact that a spate of alleged NEET-related suicides had been reported in the state in the past few years, Stalin appealed to the students to not take the extreme step.
“NEET, which is a hurdle for your growth, will be scrapped. The state government is actively working on the legal initiative in this direction,” he said in the statement.
மாணவன் ஜெகதீஸ்வரன், அவரது தந்தை செல்வசேகர் ஆகியோரின் மரணமே #NEET பலி பீடத்தின், கடைசி மரணமாக இருக்கட்டும்! அவர்களது மறைவுக்கு ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கலைத் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.
அறிவுமிகு மாணவக் கண்மணிகளே, தன்னம்பிக்கை கொள்ளுங்கள். உயிரை மாய்த்துக் கொள்ளும் சிந்தனை வேண்டாம் என மன்றாடிக்… pic.twitter.com/BsavDQK1a4
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 14, 2023
Stalin’s statement criticised Governor RN Ravi over his recent remarks that he would not sign the Tamil Nadu government’s anti-NEET bill. The chief minister said, “Then, all those who say ‘I will not sign’ will disappear.”
Accusing Ravi of “conducting classes” at the Raj Bhavan by inviting students, the chief minister claimed the Governor “displayed his ignorance” when he remarked that he would not sign the NEET Exemption Bill, an issue raised by a student’s father from Salem during an interaction on Saturday.
“The bill does not await his signature. It rests with the President. The Governor has no authority as far as this is concerned, though he is giving the impression that he wields authority. No matter how many lives are lost like that of Jagadeeswaran, the heart of Governor RN Ravi will not melt. Human life has no value in the times of such stone-hearted people,” said Stalin.
“There is a doubt that he is acting like a puppet of the coaching centres,” Stalin alleged.
BJP state unit president K Annamalai condoled the deaths and expressed anguish, saying students taking such extreme steps would leave their parents heartbroken for life.
“It is the duty of the parents to ensure the children don’t fall prey to societal pressures. Every child is born with a speciality and nobody can snatch away someone’s opportunity,” he added.
சென்னை குரோம்பேட்டையைச் சேர்ந்த மாணவர் ஜெகதீஸ்வரன், நீட் தேர்வில் தோல்வியடைந்ததால் தற்கொலை செய்து கொண்டார் என்றும், மகன் இறந்த துக்கம் தாளாமல் அவரது தந்தை திரு செல்வசேகர் அவர்களும் தற்கொலை செய்திருக்கிறார் என்ற செய்தியறிந்து மிகுந்த வேதனையடைந்தேன்.
எந்தச் சூழ்நிலையிலும், உயிரை…
— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) August 14, 2023
MDMK leader Vaiko expressed concern over the death of the father-son duo.
In a statement, he slammed the BJP government at the Centre for its “adamant, autocratic” on NEET and pointed at the alleged suicide of a number of medical aspirants from the state over the issue.
If you know someone being suicidal, call the Tamil Nadu health department’s suicide helpline number 104 or Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050
(With PTI inputs)
Jun 30, 2024
Jun 30, 2024
Jun 30, 2024
Jun 30, 2024
Jun 30, 2024
Jun 29, 2024
