NEET-UG: Anguished students demand retest amid paper leak row

Not satisfied by the government’s response to paper leaks and other irregularities related to the NEET-UG examination, several aspirants have demanded the test to be conducted once again across the country.

Anguished students say that merely conducting a re-test for 1,563 students who got grace marks will not set right the massive uncertainty that has gripped the student community.

Students upset by paper leak

Student bodies and youth wings of many political parties have been holding protests to voice their concerns over the alleged irregularities in the prestigious exam meant for medical studies.

The test this year saw a whopping 67 students score a perfect 720, something that has never happened so far in the exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Many students admit they have lost faith in the conduct of the exam what with continuing reports of question paper leaks and other discrepancies.

Some alleged that the re-test option given to 1,563 students was an eyewash.

"The inflation in marks is too much to be offset by a selective retest of 1,563 students,” West Bengal’s Aheli Ghosh Hazra told PTI.

Mounting anger

“I think revaluation of marks of each student will be a good thing, otherwise a universal retest,” she said, adding that the authorities seem to have no clue to what extent the rigging took place.

An aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, Animesh, said: “They just want to get it over with. They also want to hide the paper leak scam… I think the matter should be probed by a third party which is not biased towards the NTA.”

He too demanded a retest for all candidates.

"Only those with scores above 650 would have an issue with a retest. There must be a retest, but they must give some more time to students (to prepare),” he said.

Tejas Gaur of Delhi, who cleared the NEET exam, said he would retake the exam if it was conducted again.

"I do not think the scam is limited to 1,563 students. The number is too low to have caused such an inflation in the marks," he said.

NTA under cloud

The NEET-UG examination is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

The examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared for it.

The Union Education Ministry has set up a four-member panel headed by a former UPSC chairman to review the grace marks. The results of the retest are scheduled to be announced on June 30.

The matter has reached the Supreme Court, which has sought responses from the Centre, the NTA and the students.

(With inputs from agencies)