Daily-Wage Labourer's Dream Collapses Outside NEET Examination Centre

For months, 18-year-old Ragini Vishwakarma studied with a single dream in mind to become a doctor. She wanted to wear a white coat one day and save lives, especially those threatened by heart disease, as a cardiologist. But on Sunday afternoon, that dream appeared to slip away not because of a lack of preparation, but because she reached her examination centre a few minutes too late.

The scene unfolded outside the Government Girls' College examination centre in Vidisha during the re-NEET examination. As the gates closed, Ragini stood outside in tears. Beside her was her father, Umesh Vishwakarma, a daily-wage labourer who earns around Rs 300 a day and had spent years battling poverty to keep his daughter's education alive.

Witnesses say that when officials refused entry after the reporting deadline had passed, Umesh pleaded desperately. Moments later, overwhelmed by emotion, he collapsed outside the gate. Videos from the scene show the distraught father crying inconsolably, a sight that has since sparked widespread outrage on social media and political reactions across the state.

A Daily-Wage Labourer's Dream Collapses Outside A NEET Examination Centre https://t.co/vmuE2RgNrd pic.twitter.com/GZ0OVDQPSQ

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Ragini comes from Kulhan village in Kurwai Tehsil, nearly 70 kilometres from Vidisha. Her educational journey has been marked by determination and sacrifice. After studying in her village until Class 8, she travelled several kilometres daily to attend school. Despite financial hardship, her family purchased a scooter on instalments so she could continue her education. Every month, nearly Rs 3,000 went towards repayments.

To support her studies, the family borrowed money twice from a self-help group, eventually accumulating loans worth around Rs 70,000. When Ragini scored well in Class 12, she received Rs 25,000 as a scholarship. She added another Rs 5,000 and purchased a laptop, which became her classroom, library and coaching centre as she prepared for NEET.

According to her family, Ragini routinely studied eight to ten hours a day. She believed she could secure good marks in the examination.

On the day of the examination, Ragini and her father left home well before the test. However, the journey was disrupted by rain and a punctured tyre. By the time they reached the centre, they were allegedly just a couple of minutes beyond the reporting deadline.

What followed was a desperate attempt to save years of effort.

Officials later escorted some late-arriving students, including Ragini, inside the premises. But another obstacle emerged. The mandatory biometric verification process could not be completed within the operational window prescribed for the examination. Without successful biometric verification, the rules did not permit candidates to appear for the test.

As the technical process failed, Ragini's hopes faded. "I want to become a cardiologist," she said quietly afterwards. "I want to help people so that families do not lose their loved ones to heart attacks."

The incident was not limited to a single candidate. Several students reportedly faced difficulties due to late arrival, documentation issues or failure to complete biometric verification.

Outside the centre, anxious parents and relatives demanded intervention. Some students were seen crying. Many families, after travelling long distances, returned home disappointed.

Authorities maintain that the examination was conducted strictly according to national guidelines. The re-NEET examination was held at four centres across Vidisha district under heavy security arrangements. More than 1,700 candidates appeared for the test. Entry was permitted only after document verification, security screening and biometric authentication.

Nodal Officer Deepashree Gupta stated that the reporting deadline was fixed at 1:30 PM. Although some late-arriving candidates were taken inside for consideration, the biometric verification agency operated only until 1:40 PM. Discussions were reportedly held with officials at the Bhopal level, but the verification process could not be completed within the prescribed timeframe.