Karnataka Police have launched an investigation after Arjun Mahesh, 24, the elder brother of a NEET aspirant who died by suicide earlier this year, was found hanging inside a hotel room near Mangaluru Airport on Monday, 11 August. The case has drawn fresh attention to the human toll of the NEET examination crisis that has gripped the country in recent months.

How the Body Was Discovered

Arjun, a native of Kasaragod and reportedly employed as an automobile engineer in Dubai, had arrived in India but failed to return home. His relatives, growing concerned, began searching for him in Mangaluru. The search led them to the Sky Grand Empire Hotel in Maravoor, under the Kavoor police station limits, where he was found dead on Monday afternoon.

Police recovered a brief handwritten note from the room, addressed to his mother and two friends. The note reportedly read: 'Amma, I'm sorry, inform friends.'

What Police Have Said

Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy confirmed that Arjun was the son of K. Radhika and Mahesh of Mukkood in Pallikkara. Investigators are examining the circumstances that may have preceded the incident. Statements from family members and friends were to be recorded on Tuesday, according to police.

The Tragedy That Preceded This Death

Arjun was the elder brother of Aija R. Mahesh, a 19-year-old NEET aspirant who died by suicide on 2 June in Kerala. Aija had been found hanging in a hostel in Pala. She had been preparing for the NEET re-examination after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the original test following widespread allegations of a question paper leak.

Aija's mother had previously said her daughter was confident of performing well in the examination but became deeply distressed after the cancellation and the announcement of a re-examination. This is now the second death in the same family linked, at least circumstantially, to the fallout from the NEET paper leak controversy.

Broader Context: NEET Crisis and Its Human Cost

The NTA's cancellation of the NEET examination earlier this year triggered a nationwide controversy, with students, parents, and opposition parties demanding accountability. Several student deaths across states have been reported in connection with the stress and uncertainty surrounding the re-examination process. Arjun's death, if confirmed to be linked to the grief over his sister's passing, would underscore the cascading psychological impact the crisis has had on families beyond the aspirants themselves.

Authorities have not yet established a definitive motive, and the investigation remains ongoing. Further details are awaited as police complete their inquiry.