In a tragic incident highlighting the severe academic stress among medical aspirants, an 18-year-old student took her own life in the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh. The event took place in the Trivenipuram area under the jurisdiction of the Jhusi police station, where the teenager allegedly used her father's licensed revolver to shoot herself. Authorities identified the deceased as Ritu Sharma. Inside her room, police recovered a distressing suicide note in which the student expressed deep anguish over her ability to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and asked her family for forgiveness.
Previous Attempt and Relentless Exam Pressure
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Sagar Jain, Ritu had previously appeared for the NEET examination but could not secure the desired success. Following that attempt, she had been preparing intensely to appear for the test once again. Even though she had secured selection in the third round of counselling, she remained gripped by intense apprehension regarding her performance. Her father, Devraj Sharma, is a retired engineer who previously served with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Grueling Study Hours and the Discovery of the Body
Family members recounted to the investigating officers that Ritu maintained a strenuous preparation routine. She frequently studied through the night, keeping at her books until 4:00 to 5:00 in the morning before heading to bed to rest. Under normal circumstances, she would wake up around 2:30 in the afternoon. On Monday, when she did not emerge from her room even by 3:00 in the afternoon, her relatives grew anxious about her well-being. Upon entering the room to check on her, they discovered her lying motionless with fatal bullet wounds, leaving the entire household in sheer shock and mourning.
Suicide Note Confirmed and Legal Proceedings Underway
Law enforcement officials secured the suicide note left at the scene, which directly highlighted her psychological turmoil. In the message, she stated that she would never be able to clear the medical entrance exam and sought pardon from her parents. Preliminary findings indicate that the overwhelming dread of facing another potential failure drove the young student to the extreme step. Investigators took possession of the body and dispatched it for post-mortem analysis, while forensic teams gathered evidence from the scene to carry forward the formal legal inquiry.
