The family of a teenage campaigner who committed suicide on Friday after she failed to get into a medical college has refused to accept Rs7 lakh (US$11,000) in compensation offered by the Tamil Nadu government, according to media reports.
Seventeen-year-old Anitha, a Dalit from Ariyalur district, attracted public attention when she spearheaded the fight against the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) exams. Her performance in state board class 12 exams was excellent, but she committed suicide after she failed to get a medical seat, indiatoday reported. She scored only 86 out of 700 in the newly introduced entrance exam.
Her suicide came a week after the central government declared that Tamil Nadu could not be exempted from the NEET.
Her father reportedly refused to accept the cheque offered by officials when they visited the family to offer their condolences, saying he would not take any compensation until Tamil Nadu is exempted from the NEET — the cause for which his daughter had fought so hard, The Hindu reported.
NDTV reported that Anitha had appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that economically deprived students could not afford the private coaching classes enjoyed by richer ones in the cities, putting them at a great disadvantage in the competitive exam.