Growing up with a chronically ill mother in a remote village, Rema Begum aspired to become a doctor until her dream was cut short by her own tragic death.
After years of studying and costly coaching classes, the 20-year-old believed she had finally done enough to win a coveted seat at a government medical school.
Then came news that the question paper of the medical entrance examination she sat for had been leaked, and a retest was ordered.
Days later, Begum was dead.
She was among at least 20 students who reportedly took their own lives after the incident, according to local media and activists.
The exam paper leak, alongside a string of other irregularities, has fuelled nationwide protests and public anger over an education system many students say is stacked against them.
A month after her death, Begum’s father Rajaul Islam is still struggling to understand how his “gem” of a daughter lost hope.
“After the exam, she was absolutely confident that she would clear it,” Rajaul said by phone from the family’s village in the state of Assam.
“But after a retest was announced because the paper had leaked, she became a different person and withdrew into a shell.”
Nothing the family said could reassure her, he said.
“I had spent a lot of money on her studies, so she was worried it would all go to waste,” he said.
Days before the new exam date, Begum was found dead.
Her death highlights the immense pressures on students in India, where admission to a government-run medical college remains one of the most sought after pathways to economic security.
“Getting through the Neet examination therefore means, for many families, the assurance of a happy and comfortable life,” said literary scholar and former professor GN Devy, referring to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet).
“But the number of students who want these places is completely out of proportion to the number of institutions available.”
More than two million candidates sat the exam this year, competing for roughly 137,000 medical seats nationwide.
In Rajasthan, farmer Rajesh Kumar sold ancestral land and borrowed 1.1 million rupees (RM46,600) so his son Pradeep Meena could attend coaching classes for three years.
“I toiled for up to 16 hours a day on the farm so that he could take coaching classes,” Kumar said.
“Because I thought if he becomes a doctor it would all be worth it, and I could lead a comfortable life in my old age.”
After the exam, Meena appeared certain he had succeeded.
Kumar recalled his son hugging him and saying that “even God cannot stop me from becoming a doctor now”.
A day after authorities announced the retest, the 22-year-old died by suicide.
Teachers say the emotional toll should not be underestimated.
“It’s a highly stressful experience to prepare for and take the exam, and having to do it all over again is not easy,” said Abhijit Patra, a teacher at a coaching centre in Kolkata.
“Paper leaks make an already hectic experience even worse.”
Thousands of kilometres from New Delhi, Begum’s family is still searching for answers.
“I request the government to take irregularities in examinations seriously,” her father said.
“They should understand that it is not easy for a child from a poor family to dream of a better life and work towards it.” — AFP
