Sorry Mummy, Papa: NEET aspirant cites retest fear in final note

An 18-year-old NEET aspirant in Nagpur allegedly died by suicide after the NEET-UG 2026 exam was cancelled over a paper leak. A note later found by her family revealed her anxiety about the retest and fear of failing to repeat her earlier performance

Nagpur: Days after an 18-year-old female NEET aspirant hailing from Madhya Pradesh allegedly ended her life in Maharashtra’s Nagpur, her family stumbled upon a note written by her, in which she apologised to them, saying she did not have the courage to appear for a retest of the medical entrance.

In the emotional note, the student, Akanksha Chaturvedi, said there was “no guarantee” that she would score good marks in the retest, and said she had “ruined everything” for them.

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Akanksha had appeared for the NEET-UG exam on May 3. After the test, she was upbeat and confident that she would score good marks. But the cancellation of that exam following allegations of a paper leak dashed her hopes and left her anxious and upset, according to her family members.

On May 12, the National Testing Agency cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG)-2026 held on May 3 after paper leak allegations. A re-examination was then scheduled for June 21. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the test.

Akanksha, a native of Mauganj district in MP, was preparing for the NEET at a coaching institute in Nagpur. However, a week after the announcement about cancellation of the May 3 exam, she was found hanging in her room at their home in Nagpur on May 20.

When the family sat for lunch around noon that day, Akanksha told them that she would eat later as she was not hungry, and retired to her room. Around 3 pm, her family found her hanging inside the room, but no suicide note was found at that time, the police said.

Her death devastated the family. Days later, when they were going through her books and study material, they found her hand-written note, which they subsequently submitted to the Ambazari police on June 1.

The note said, “Mummy, Papa…you had trust in me that I would study and become a doctor. But I do not have the courage to appear for a retest. In the first test, I was about to score good marks. But there is no guarantee that I will score good marks again. Sorry, Mummy, Papa, I have ruined everything for both of you.” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Nityanand Jha said they have received the note, which is now part of the investigation.

“The girl ended her life in Nagpur, where the entire family was residing. The note surfaced when the family members were rummaging through her books. It has been submitted to the police, and investigation is now underway to ascertain all circumstances related to the case,” Jha said.

According to police, Akanksha’s note reflects her anxiety about appearing for the examination again. She apologised to her parents and wrote that although she expected good marks in her first attempt, she no longer felt confident about going through the process all over again.

Her father, Krishna Kumar Chaturvedi, a small farmer who also worked as a cook in Nagpur to support the family, told the police that his daughter had returned from the examination feeling optimistic and expected to score more than 650 marks.

However, the family members later noticed a significant change in Akanksha’s behaviour as she appeared increasingly disturbed following reports of paper leak and exam rescheduling.

An official of the Ambazari police station said the statements of her family members have been recorded, and further probe was on. All aspects mentioned in the note are being examined, he said.