An 18-year-old student from Maharashtra’s Hingoli, who recently took the NEET-UG re-test, allegedly ended his life after recording a video for his mother on his mobile phone, officials said on Thursday (June 25, 2026).
A probe is underway to determine whether the extreme step taken by Sushil Dhage had anything to do with the national-level medical entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid claims by his family that he had found the retest difficult, they said.
Dhage’s family told the police that he found the NEET re-examination paper difficult. Police have registered an accidental death report for now, said an official.
An official from the Hingoli City police station told PTI, “The family’s complaint talks about the NEET re-examination. We are investigating the case and examining whether there is any connection between the examination and the incident.”
The NEET re-exam was held on June 21 by the NTA after the cancellation of the earlier May 3 exam amid an ongoing probe into the question paper leak. Over 22 lakh students were to appear in the retest.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the helpline numbers: BMC Mental Health Helpline: 022-24131212 [24×7], Vandrevala Foundation: 18602662345/18002333330 [24×7], iCALL- 022-25521111 [Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.], ASRA – 022 2754 6669 [24×7], he Samaritans Mumbai: 8422984528/842984529/8422984530 [5 p.m. -8 p.m., all days])
Published – June 25, 2026 06:12 pm IST