‘I Love You, Mummy, Papa’: 23-Year-Old NEET Aspirant Riya Kumari Thapa Dies by Suicide in Dehradun, Leaves Emotional Note

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AFTER THE CANCELLATION of the NEET exams, many students were left frustrated and under immense pressure due to the re-examination. One of them was Riya Kumari Thapa, a 23-year-old woman who was preparing for the NEET-UG re-test following the paper leak controversy. On the morning of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, when her parents went to call her for breakfast, they found her dead in her room. She allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

According to reports, the incident came to light when her mother went to her room to call her for breakfast. Riya did not respond despite repeated knocking and calls. After some time, when she still did not answer, her mother alerted her father that something was wrong. The family forced open the door and found her hanging. They informed the police, and a brief suicide note was later recovered from Thapa's room.

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The note reportedly read, “I love you, Mummy, Papa. No one is at fault.” Thapa was the daughter of a 1999 Kargil War veteran and lived with her family in the Chandrabani area of Dehradun. She had appeared for the NEET-UG examination on May 3, 2026, but after the paper leak controversy, the exam was rescheduled for June 21, and she had been preparing for the re-test. According to reports, she had not been able to clear the medical entrance examination in her first attempt.

Thapa was a bright student who consistently performed well academically. She had scored nearly 97 per cent in Class 12, topped her school, and later emerged as a college topper. Family members said that she regularly studied late into the night and therefore woke up late in the mornings. She was reportedly under pressure because of the examination, and her suicide note also expressed disappointment.

Police Say No Major Behavioural Changes Observed in Riya Kumari Thapa’s Behaviour

While speaking to ANI, Circle Officer (CO) Sadar Ankit Kandari said, “Yesterday morning, a tragic incident occurred. A report was received at the Patel Nagar police station that a 23-year-old girl named Ria committed suicide in Chandramani. In the investigation, it came to light that around 10.30 am, when her mother was calling her for breakfast, she didn't open the door. When the door was opened, it was found that she had hanged herself.”

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According to Kandari, Riya had expressed love for her parents in the note and said that no one was to blame for her death. He told reporters that she had attributed her decision to her “own perceived incompetence.” While there may have been frustration related to the examination, police said they had not found any signs of severe depression or significant behavioural changes.

“As far as the parents are concerned, they said the girl had gone to a ‘jagran’ with them that night. Since she used to study late at night, she woke up late in the morning. It was a normal routine,” said CO Kandari. According to her parents, there had been no noticeable behavioural changes, and everything had appeared normal. She lived with her parents and siblings, and according to Kandari, in the suicide note, “she wrote just four or five lines addressing ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m sorry’.”

Apart from this, no changes had been observed by her parents or neighbours, and the exact reason behind her death remains unclear so far.

CO Kandari further stated that statements recorded by the police from people close to Riya, particularly her parents, with whom she spent the most time, indicated that she had been focused on her studies and exam preparation. He said there were no signs of distress such as isolating herself, becoming unusually silent or withdrawn, or showing symptoms of severe depression. Further investigation into the case is underway.

[Edited by Harsh Pandey]

[VP]

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