The death of Naveen Shekharappa, a fourth year medical student of a university in Kharkiv, Ukraine, has triggered opposition to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Kannada organisations, on Wednesday, ran a Twitter campaign with the hashtag ‘BanNEET’.
A meritorious student with 97% in pre-university, Naveen could not secure a medical seat in his State, Karnataka. “We were unable to afford a seat in a private college, and so we had no option but to send him to Ukraine,” his father Shekharappa told The Hindu.
Former Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) H.D. Kumaraswamy, in a series of tweets, also opposed NEET calling it a “death knell” to the dreams of poor and rural students who want to study medicine. “A meritorious rural student like Naveen unable to get a medical seat in the country has exposed the “shameless face” of NEET. His death in Ukraine is a question to the conscience of India ... ” he tweeted.
