EDUCATION

NEET UG: Amid rising controversy, Nationwide protests today over alleged paper leak, irregularities

By News Desk

June 21, 2024

The Congress party, led by General Secretary KC Venugopal, has announced plans for extensive protests across the country today. The protests are in response to alleged irregularities in the NEET exams and will see supporters demonstrating at district headquarters nationwide.

The NEET results, announced earlier this month, have triggered protests from thousands of medical aspirants. These candidates are particularly concerned because an unusually high number of students, dozens in fact, scored a perfect 720 out of 720 in what is considered one of India’s most challenging exams. This has led to suspicions and accusations of exam irregularities and possible malpractice.

Education Minister Pradhan emphasized on Thursday the government’s commitment to conducting error-free exams. “In line with this, a high-level committee has been formed to assist the NTA in improving its operations and ensuring transparency in the examination process. The government has also invalidated the results of over 1,500 students who received grace marks due to procedural errors. Pradhan pointed out that the primary issue with the NEET exam stemmed from these discrepancies, which led to student unrest and subsequent court cases. To address these issues, the NTA filed a new petition allowing for a re-examination of affected students, which helped to resolve the central concern related to the NEET exam,” the government has said.

In a significant development earlier this week, the government canceled the UGC-NET exam following the discovery that its question paper had been leaked online.

Minister Pradhan described this as an institutional failure on the part of the NTA and assured that a reform committee would be established to address these issues and enforce accountability. The decision to cancel the exam was not taken lightly; it was based on substantial evidence that the question paper had been leaked on the dark web and was also being circulated on Telegram.

There have been arrests in Bihar related to the NEET paper leak. Four individuals, including NEET aspirant, his uncle, and two others, were arrested for their involvement. Minister Pradhan noted that both state and central authorities are collaborating to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and that justice is served.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticized the BJP and its affiliated organizations, alleging that they have undermined the education system and contributed to the paper leaks. He condemned the government’s silence and suggested that the Prime Minister is more focused on political agendas than on addressing these critical educational issues.