BHOPAL: At 6 am on Saturday as Ankita Dangi, 17, was preparing for Sunday’s NEET exam, bulldozers rolled into Manas Bhawan Colony, demolishing her home and crushing her dreams of becoming a doctor.The aspiring medic, an OBC candidate who took a gap year to prepare for the primary medical entrance exam, watched helplessly as her study materials—anatomy diagrams, pharmacology notes and mock test papers—were buried under the rubble of 27 demolished homes.With just 36 hours left for the exam that holds the key to shaping an aspiring career in medicine, Ankita now finds herself in a lakeside temple, a makeshift shelter, clutching only her NEET admit card.“We were asked to vacate the house around 10 pm on Friday,” Ankita recalled, her voice trembling. “We slept on the streets. It wasn’t until the afternoon, after pleading with the administration, that I managed to retrieve my NEET admit card.”Later that day, as tensions escalated and some were arrested, Ankita, along with her sisters and her infant nephew, found refuge in a Sheetal Das Ki Bagiya, a temple on the banks of the Upper Lake.The demolition, following acourt order, has left residents homeless without prior notice, claimed Ankita’s family—a charge the administration denied. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Ankita, who dreams of becoming the first doctor in her family.“Even if I reach the exam centre on Sunday, NEET’s strict protocols pose hurdles,” Ankita told TOI, her voice betraying her desperation. “The only clothes that I am left with here do not meet the dress code, and my identity documents are buried under the rubble.”NEET guidelines mandate full-sleeved light-coloured clothing without patterns or embroidery, and candidates must carry original ID proofs—rules that now seem insurmountable for Ankita.
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