Tamil Nadu student says he paid DMK MP Jagathrakshakan Rs 25 lakhs to study medicine in his college

A short video of a teenage boy identified as Fayazdeen talking about how he paid Rs 25 lakhs to get into the medical school run by DMK MP Jagathrakshakan is recently getting viral on social media. In the video, the boy stated that financially strapped students would not be able to cover the complete course costs at the medical college owned by the DMK leader, which would total up to Rs 1.5 crores.

The video is said to have appeared after the father of one young boy named Jagadeeswaran, who tragically committed suicide at age 19 after failing the NEET medical entrance exam, was discovered dead at their Chennai, Tamil Nadu, home the next day.

Jagadeeswaran, who obtained a 427-grade point average in Class XII and further graduated in 2022, failed to pass the NEET admission exam for the medical course in both of his attempts. According to a report by the Communemag, the student was discovered dead at home on Saturday, August 12 after failing to answer his father’s calls. Later his father, Selvasekar, was also discovered dead the following morning. According to police, Selvasekar hanged himself at home after struggling to cope with the intense grief brought on by the death of his son.

In light of these circumstances, a video of Jagadheeswaran’s friend Fayazdeen criticizing the NEET exam for its negative effects on economically disadvantaged students has received a lot of attention. However, during the press conference, he disclosed that his father had spent Rs 25 lakhs to reserve an MBBS seat at a private medical school and that the whole cost of the course would be about Rs 1.5 crores. The video is making rounds on social media at present. 

“I am just pass in NEET. I am telling openly. I was able to get only 160 marks in NEET. Since my father was economically well-to-do, he paid ₹25 lakhs and admitted me in this college… If the person pays money and becomes a doctor, what will he do? He will be focused on retrieving the money back instead of doing service to people. If NEET is the only exam that can create good doctors, then are all the doctors who have passed to this date dubakoors (waste in colloquial Tamil)?”, Fayazdeen was quoted as saying.

Notably, candidates for engineering or medicine had to take the Tamil Nadu Professional Courses Entrance Examination (TNPCEE) before to 2006. Fayazdeen also said that he felt disheartened by the death of his friend who he said was not able to pay Rs 25 lakhs. “In fact, he was better at studies than me. He scored better than me both times… He got 400 marks on this attempt. If he is not able to join, I am not able to understand. What are you going to achieve with this exam? How many students are going to be killed by the rulers in Central Government,” he added.

Watch | நீட் – மருத்துவ மாணவரின் உலுக்கும் கேள்விகள்!

சென்னை குரோம்பேட்டையில் நீட் தேர்வு தோல்வியால் உயிரை மாய்த்துக் கொண்ட மாணவர் ஜெகதீஸ்வரனின் நண்பர் ஃபயாஸ்தின் கேள்விகளுக்கு பதில் கிடைக்குமா?#SunNews | #NEET | #MedicalStudent | @mkstalin pic.twitter.com/tjSVwQyEZU

— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) August 14, 2023

“I am studying 1st-year MBBS at Balaji Medical College. It is a deemed college only. I paid money to join the college. NEET I am just qualified. I have no shame in saying it. My father got me admitted to this college just because he was able to afford the money. He is someone who studies better than me. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve this seat. This MBBS seat I don’t want it. I don’t deserve it. Me and Jagadeeswaran feel we want to serve in the public domain. But like the chicken-egg story, I don’t know if people (doctors) earn money because they put money or whether they put money because they want to earn money,” he says.

He further added that unqualified doctors in the future will treat the patients only for money as they would want to recover the money they paid to become doctors viz Rs 1.5 crores. “How will anyone have the thought process to serve? They will be focused on earning back the money they paid,” the boy said in the video.

The video has led to a heated discussion as the institution is said to be owned by DMK MP Jagathrakshakan.

#DMK MP owned Medical College student’s Anti-#NEET tirade promoted by #DMK family owned news channel to poison young minds & create divide.

When will this utter shamelessness stop CM Mr.@mkstalin ?

First be accountable to your promise of abolishing NEET in your first signature. https://t.co/2JhOxCJ0m2

— Dr.SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) August 14, 2023

Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital was accused of fraud cases earlier in 2011 for allegedly collecting thousands of rupees in capitation fees while refusing applicants’ seats. The college apparently received almost 18 lakhs in capitation fees in 2010 but did not provide students with spots.

Two college staff were caught on record in 2009 requesting a capitation fee.

People on the internet and in the general public posed crucial questions about how the DMK leader was able to charge such excessive admission fees for the MBBS program. The DMK’s intentions regarding their proposal to outlaw the NEET exam were also questioned, as worries were raised that doing so might open the door for even more severe costs.

It is significant to note that the DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan and his family members have had properties worth 89.19 crores attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in September 2020 in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management Act. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has accused Jagathrakshagan and his son Sundeep Aanand of subscribing to 70,00,000 and 20,00,000 shares of Silver Park International Pte. Ltd. in Singapore without getting the RBI’s permission.