NEET paper was leaked, arrested candidate confesses to police: Reports

The accusation by many students and parents over the past several days that the NEET 2024 exam paper had been leaked seems to have been confirmed with the reported confession of four men, including a candidate, arrested in Bihar.

The Union Education Minister has been denying that the question paper was leaked before the exam.

The four men arrested in Bihar include Anurag Yadav, a NEET candidate, his uncle, Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, and Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, from whom Yadavendu is reported to have obtained the exam paper.

‘Exact questions were asked in exam’

Anurag Yadav reportedly told the police that he and three other candidates received the question paper from his uncle the day before the examination, and they memorised it. He confirmed that the exact questions were asked in the exam the next day.

“After the exam, the police came and caught me, and I confessed my crime,” Anurag reportedly said.

‘Can leak any competitive exam’s paper’

His uncle, Yadavendu, a junior engineer in the Danapur municipal council, told the police that the other two accused, Nitish and Amit, had assured him that they could leak the question paper of any competitive exam, and they would charge ₹30-32 lakhs per aspirant for the NEET paper.

Yadavendu said he charged each aspirant an extra ₹10 lakhs, to keep for himself. The day after the exam, during a vehicle check, the police caught him with the exam admit cards of the students. After he was arrested, he confessed to his crime.

Education Ministry seeks report from Bihar Police

The Union Education Ministry on Wednesday (June 19) sought a report from the Economic Offences Unit of the Bihar Police regarding the NEET question paper leak, officials told news agency PTI.

“The government will take further action on receipt of this report,” said a senior official.

Opposition blasts govt

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, the Congress on Thursday (June 20) said every year he conducts a "grand tamasha" of what he calls “Pareeksha pe Charcha” and yet his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds.

The Opposition party also asked the prime minister if he would "leak pe speak".

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the NEET UG 2024 Examination faces very serious questions that even the education minister has been forced to acknowledge.

NET cancelled

“The integrity of the National Testing Agency (NTA) is under severe doubt,” he said.

“Now the UGC-NET conducted just the day before yesterday has been cancelled last night,” said Ramesh.

The Union Education Ministry late on Wednesday night (June 19) ordered cancellation of UGC-NET following inputs of the exam's integrity being compromised.

Bihar Deputy CM points finger at Tejashwi

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday alleged that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's aide was linked to the alleged paper leaks and the malpractices of the NEET-UG 2024 row.

At a press briefing, Sinha claimed that Tejashwi Yadav's aide Preetam Kumar called an employee of the Bihar Road Construction Department (RCD) to book a room for Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, an engineer who earlier revealed an alleged involvement of a ‘Mantriji’ in the entrance exam row.

Yadavendu claimed he recommended the stay of his nephew Anurag Yadav, a NEET aspirant, his mother and other accomplices at a government bungalow in Patna. Yadav is currently behind bars in connection with the exam irregularities.

Govt has been ruinous for India’s education system: Jairam Ramesh

In fact, the government has been ruinous for India's education system with the CUET (Common University Entrance Test) making a complete mockery of Class XII exams, Ramesh said.

“The professionalism of NCERT, UGC, and CBSE has been destroyed,” he claimed.

"The New Education Policy of 2020, rather than preparing India's education system for the future, only serves as the Nagpur Education Policy 2020," he alleged.

"This is the legacy of the MA in Entire Political Science. Will he ever 'Leak pe Speak?'" Ramesh said.

‘Paper leak government’

Soon after the cancellation of UGC-NET, the Congress on Wednesday (June 19) dubbed the Modi government as "paper leak government" and asked whether the education minister would take responsibility now.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the government over the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET, and asked when will Prime Minister hold "NEET pareeksha pe charcha".

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the government after the Education Ministry ordered the cancellation of UGC-NET, and asked for accountability to be fixed.

(With agency inputs)