‘Himmat mat haaro’: Zeeshan Ayyub calls student suicides after NEET paper leak forced re-test ‘disturbing’

IN the 46 years betwixt the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 o'er a paper leak out outrage and the scheduled re-test on June 21, at least 11 NEET aspirants across India have reportedly died by suicide, according to police records, family accounts and media reports.What the actor sharedActor Zeeshan Ayyub talked about the student suicide in the last few weeks in an Instagram video. He addressed students in particular and said, “NEET ke chakkar mein kai baccho ne suicide kiya, woh jyada disturbing cheez hai. Main students se bolna chahunga ki himmat mat haro. Nothing is end of the world. Kuch khatam nahi ho jayega. Zindagi mein bohot kuch hain. Uske khilaaf bolna, uske liye bolna, apne rights ke liye khade hona… woh zyada zaruri hain (Because of NEET, so many students have died by suicide and that is disturbing. I want to tell the students not to lose faith. It is not the end. There is more to life. To speak up, to demand your rights and so on, that is more important).” The actor urged students that if they are feeling low then they should definitely take counselling and that's completely okay. “Main samajh bhi paa raha hoon iss takleef ko lekin phir bhi ek saathi hone ke naate main ye bolunga jyadda pareshaan na ho. Counselling se na darey, please logon se iske baare mein baat karein. Dosto khayal rakhieyen (I can understand the situation and the pain but I want to say that please do not worry too much. Do not feel scared of seeking counselling. Speak up about it to people. Take care of youselves).”About the NEET paper leak and cancellationThe NEET (Undergraduate) was rescheduled after the test was cancelled on May 12, even though 2.27 million students had taken it across 551 cities. The central agencies found that the question paper was compromised. Questions were available on some phones as early as May 1, two days before the exam. It was the second time in two years that NEET came under scrutiny.Two NEET aspirants died in Uttarakhand and Rajasthan this week, with police suspecting the cases to be of suicide. In Dehradun, a 23-year-old woman preparing for the NEET was found dead in her room. A handwritten note recovered from the spot purportedly suggested that the woman was depressed. In Rajasthan’s Sikar district, a 22-year-old NEET aspirant was found dead ahead of his third attempt.Now, as candidates prepare to take the examination again and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continues its probe into the leak, reports of deaths from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Karnataka have brought the human toll of the controversy into sharp focus.Note - Talking about suicide can be distressing for some readers. If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally, help is available. Pune-based NGO Connecting offers emotional support through mindfulness-based active listening. Helpline: 1800-209-4353 (toll-free) and 9922001122.