India: Detained men in Bihar gave medical entrance test (NEET) paper to over 30 students: Report
13 held in Bihar for charging Rs4 million from each student; exam agency chief fired
Dubai: The three men arrested in Bihar in connection with the alleged paper leak of the medical entrance exam NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test), had copies of all the question papers and the answer sheets, sources in the HRD ministry quoted as saying by NDTV, after the police sent in its investigation report.
The head of India’s National Testing Agency (NTA) Subodh Kumar Singh has been dismissed. The government has also appointed a committee to recommend reforms in the fiercely competitive process.
A qualifying exam for PhD fellowships was also cancelled after the question paper was leaked on the dark web.
The entrance test for post-graduate degrees in medicine, which was due to be sat on Sunday, has been postponed.
So far 13 people have been arrested in Bihar in connection with the case of a national entrance exam for admission to India’s medical colleges sparked outrage over allegations of corruption.
The police found photocopies of admit cards of four NEET candidates, an iPhone 15 Plus and One Plus mobile from them.
After questioning the men — Sikandar Yadvendu, Akhilesh Kumar and Bittu Kumar — the police found they circulated the papers and answer sheets among four candidates, NDTV report said.
The conspiracy involved the arrested men, and a few others — Sanjeev Singh, Rocky, Nitish and Amit Anand, sources told the news media company.
The questioning of the candidates revealed that besides them, 25-30 other candidates also received the question paper and the solved answer sheets.
Student protests have been raging across the country since, amplified by the Opposition, and the matter has snowballed into a huge political row.
The students have been demanding the exam be rescheduled for everyone and not the 1500-odd students who received grace marks.
This, however, has not been accepted by the government and the re-test for 1,563 candidates, who had initially received grace marks, is being held today.
The initial exam was held on May 5, which was taken by 2.4 million students across the country.
When the results were declared, it was found that 67 students scored an unprecedented 720/720 marks. Over 500 students received grace marks.
The outcome was unnaturally high cut-off percentage that triggered waves of apprehension among students over finding a berth at any college.
The arrested men said they had charged each candidate Rs30 to 40 lakh (Rs3 to 4 million) to help them pass the exam, sources said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now taken over the probe into the alleged paper leak after a complaint was filed by the HRD ministry.
They have filed a case of fraud and criminal conspiracy and are expected to take charge of the people arrested in the case as well.
The ministry has also asked the CBI to inquire into the role of public servants, if any, connected with the holding of the exam and the “larger conspiracy”, sources said.
Student protests have been raging across the country after allegations of multiple irregularities including cheating and impersonation surfaced following the declaration of results.
The students have been demanding the exam be rescheduled for everyone and not the 1500-odd students who received grace marks.
Special teams formed
This, however, has not been accepted by the government and the re-test for 1,563 candidates, who had initially received grace marks, is being held today.
The matter has snowballed into a huge political row with the Opposition backing the protesting students.
After taking over the probe, the CBI has formed special teams to investigate the case, the central agency said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the CBI, special teams are being despatched to Patna in Bihar and Godhra in Gujarat, where local police cases have been registered.
“CBI has registered a criminal case and initiated an investigation. Special teams have been formed by the CBI to investigate the matter on top priority. Special CBI teams are being sent to Patna and Godhra where local police cases have been registered”, the CBI said in a statement.
“National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET(UG) Examination on May 5, 2024 in OMR (Pen and paper) mode. Certain cases of alleged irregularities/cheating/impersonation/malpractices have been reported. For transparency on the conduct of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, after a review has decided to entrust the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for comprehensive investigation. Central Government has also enacted the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to prevent unfair means in public examinations and to provide for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto,” the government said.
“The government is committed to ensuring the sanctity of examinations and protect the interest of students. It is reiterated that any individual/ organisation found to be involved will face strictest action,” it added.