Chennai, September 10: A day after an aspiring medical student from Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur district was found dead, his father on Wednesday claimed that it was a case of suicide. The victim -- identified as Vignesh -- was found dead at 9 am on Tuesday, floating in a well four days ahead of the exam. His father claimed that Vignesh took the extreme step over fear and anxiety about the NEET.

According to a report, published in the News 18, the inquiries lead to the possibility of suicide, however, no suicide note has been found so far. Vignesh's father -- Vishwanathan -- stated that his son had failed to clear the test in two earlier attempts and was anxious over his score this time around. Unlock 4: Tamil Nadu Govt Eases COVID-19 Restrictions, Allows Construction Activities With 60% Capacity, Badminton And Tennis Courts Re-Open in Chennai.

He said, as quoted by News18, "Yesterday, we took him out to buy new clothes. Around 5.30 pm, we took him to the temple. We returned and then he studied till 9 pm and went to sleep. Usually, he used to wake up at 4 am and start studying. This was his routine. When I woke up at 4.30 am, I did not find him anywhere. At 9 am, we found his chappals near a well and that is how we found out. It is only because of stress due to NEET that he decided to end his life."

Following Vignesh's death, his body was sent to a government hospital for autopsy. It is to be known that Vignesh had secured a seat in agricultural sciences in 2019, however, he decided to study harder to crack NEET. With Vignesh's death, the demand for scrapping of NEET Exams has gained momentum in state and across the political arena.

DMK president MK Stalin expressed his grief over the NEET aspirant's suicide. While PMK founder leader S Ramadoss expressing shock. Local villagers also staged a demonstration demanding immediate scrapping of the examination.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2020 01:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).