The National Commission for Scheduled Castes Vice Chairperson has decided to muddy the waters in the suicide case of Anitha, a Dalit girl and medical aspirant who fought against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Examination. Over three weeks after Anitha’s death, the SC commission boss, Murugan, has said that he suspects some ‘external forces’ to have a hand in her suicide.
“If you ask me, this girl was ready to take up Aeronautical Engineering. There was some external force, that was pushing her… threatening her… That’s what I feel. I don’t think this (suicide) was because of her family’s circumstance. There was some external force,” Murugan told reporters in Chennai, in effect shifting the narrative around Anitha’s suicide, away from NEET.
His following statement clarified this further. “Today, NEET is definitely required, because we’re in a position where we have to compete at a national level. I once went to Madhya Pradesh for a tour. There, the SC/ST department of every district has coaching centres, which prepares them for these exams starting from Class 8. Similarly, the Tamil Nadu government should also prepare our students to compete at the national and international level,” he said.
Murugan also said that the local police has filed an interim report on Anitha’s death. “We have also asked for a detailed report from the Superintendent of Police, Ariyalur in the next 15 days,” he added.
This comes up at a time when there have been agitations across Tamil Nadu against NEET and Anitha’s death. From college students, school students to political leaders, many have been protesting against the common entrance test after the death of Anitha.
Following this, the Supreme Court has asked the state officials to arrest anyone who conducts protests which disrupts normal life in Tamil Nadu.
On September 1, 17-year-old, Anitha committed suicide in her house in Ariyalur district. She had scored 1174/1200 in her Class XII examination but had only obtained 86 marks in the NEET examination.
Determined to fight, Anitha had impleaded herself into the NEET case in the Supreme Court to argue against the examination. However, the court asked the state government to start conducting counselling based on NEET marks. After this, the Central government also refused to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET examinations.
Distraught, Anitha killed herself in her home in Ariyalur. Her family has now taken up her fight, and even refused to accept the compensation of Rs 7 lakhs granted by the state government till NEET examination are stopped in Tamil Nadu.