Karnataka govt seeks opinion of experts on reopening schools
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government would seek a report from a panel of experts, including doctors, on reopening of schools and colleges in the state, which have remained shut since March last week due to COVID-19, Health Minister B Sriramulu said on Tuesday.
The education department has sought the opinion of the health department in the backdrop of the Centre in its latest guidelines asking the states and union territories to decide on reopening schools and other educational institutions after October 15 in a graded manner.
"We have to take into account the report to be furnished by the panel of experts and doctors including pediatricians and psychiatrists before opening the schools and colleges," Sriramulu told reporters here.
Conceding that there will be several challenges, including fear among the students, in reopening educational institutions, the minister said the government would have to work with the doctors and psychiatrists to instill confidence in the minds of students and their parents.
Earlier, Sriramulu held a meeting with Health Department Additional Chief Secretary Jawaid Akhtar, Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey, and experts on the issue.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
