NEET UG 2024 paper leak scandal: Arrests, confessions and political fallout

New Delhi, June 20: The issue of irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) has escalated with four arrested men confessing that the question paper for the medical entrance exam was leaked the night before the test, according to NDTV.

Last week, student protests erupted nationwide over allegations of the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak and the awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 aspirants. Although the grace marks were later rescinded and students were offered a re-test, the education minister denied any paper leak.

The four men arrested in Bihar include aspirant Anurag Yadav, his uncle Sikandar—a junior engineer at Danapur Municipal Council—and two others, Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand. They admitted to receiving the question paper the day before the exam and were instructed to memorise it. In a statement to Bihar police, they confirmed that the exact questions appeared on the exam the next day.

Anurag Yadav, who had been preparing for the exam in the coaching hub of Kota, said his uncle asked him to return because he had planned to leak the paper. "I was made to read and memorise it at night. When I went for the exam, I found the same questions I had memorised correctly. After the exam, the police came and caught me, and I confessed my crime," Yadav said.

Yadavendu claimed that the other two accused, Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, assured him they could leak the question paper of any competitive exam, charging ₹ 30-32 lakh per aspirant to clear NEET. "I agreed and told them I have four boys who need help in passing the exam. On June 4 night, I took them with me and Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand gave them the question paper. Out of greed, I had also asked them for ₹ 40 lakhs each instead of ₹ 30 lakhs," he told the police the NDTV news story read.

He was caught with the students' admit cards during a vehicle check the next day and confessed to his crime.

Nearly 24 lakh students appeared for the NEET-UG 2024 for undergraduate medical courses on May 5. However, the results declared at least 10 days ahead of schedule, were overshadowed by allegations of a question paper leak and the awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 students.

The controversy also took a political turn, with opposition parties targeting the government over alleged rigging, paper leaks, and corruption. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi argued that BJP-ruled states were the "epicentre of paper leaks."

The Hindustan Times reported that Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha claimed the involvement of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's aide in the alleged paper leaks and discrepancies in NEET-UG 2024.

During a press conference in Patna, Vijay Kumar Sinha asserted that on May 1 and May 4, Pritam Kumar, who served as Tejashwi Yadav's secretary during his ministerial tenure, contacted an employee of the Bihar Road Construction Department to book a room for Sikandar Kumar Yadavendu, an engineer implicated in the leak of NEET-UG question papers.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last week rejected the allegations, stating there was no evidence of any rigging and accusing the opposition of spreading lies.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a batch of petitions over the alleged irregularities in the exam, on Tuesday criticized the National Testing Agency, emphasizing that it must ensure all candidates are treated fairly.

NEET Fallout

Amid the escalating controversy over NEET, the Ministry of Education has cancelled the UGC-NET exam, conducted by the National Testing Agency, just a day after it was held. Over 9 lakh candidates had appeared for the exam, which determines eligibility for Assistant Professor posts in universities and colleges and junior research fellowships.

The announcement triggered an immediate reaction from political parties who criticized the government for its "laxity" and demanded accountability.

In a statement, the Education Ministry said the June exam of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) was conducted on Tuesday in OMR (pen and paper) mode in two shifts across the country.

"On 19th June 2024, the University Grants Commission (UGC) received certain inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the examination. These inputs prima facie indicate that the integrity of the aforesaid examination may have been compromised," it said.

The ministry announced the cancellation of the June 2024 examination "to ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity of the examination process," adding that the exam will be held afresh at a date to be announced later.