A 20-year-old MBBS aspirant, Hritik Mishra, was found dead at his residence in Lakhimpur Kheri on Thursday. His family attributed the death to stress over the cancellation and rescheduling of the NEET-UG 2026 examination.
Family's Account
The student's uncle, Anoop Mishra, stated that Hritik was under severe mental distress after the examination was cancelled and later rescheduled. “This was his third attempt, and he was confident of clearing it this time... He had prepared a lot better,” he said, adding that his nephew was found hanging at home.
Police Response
Refuting the family's allegations, ASP Vivek Tiwari said, “The student died due to personal reasons. Prima facie, no examination angle has come up so far.”
Political Reactions
The student's death took on a political dimension on Friday, with Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speaking out on the matter. In a strongly worded post on social media platform ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi stated: “NEET aspirant Mishra appeared for the third time and broke down after the examination was called off. In Goa, one more NEET aspirant committed suicide. These are not just suicides; this is a murder of the system.”
Priyanka wrote: “News of Mishra’s suicide is sad. Corruption in examinations has taken his life.”
Protests
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad held protests against the National Testing Agency, while members of the Samajwadi Party staged a separate protest.
Public Reaction
Netizens on social media platforms claimed that Hritik had purportedly said “he would not give competitive exams anymore”, with many commenting that “suicide is not a solution...”
About the Author: Krishna Chaudhary, a mass communication graduate, is a Senior Correspondent covering the sugar belt of Western Uttar Pradesh. He specializes in reporting on crime, politics, and impactful human-interest stories.
