- Lakhs of students faced NEET-UG exam cancellation due to a major paper leak scandal
- The leak originated in Nashik and spread to Gurugram and Jaipur before the exam date
- Opposition leaders blamed BJP state governments and criticized central government’s handling
Lakhs of students, their parents and teachers who provided coaching are not the only people who are extremely furious over the question paper leak of one of the most competitive exams in the country, the NEET-UG. The matter acquired serious political hues after Opposition party leaders began attacking the Centre over what they claimed were acts of corruption at the cost of students' future.
Following the discovery of the paper leak, the National Testing Agency (NTA) - an autonomous body under the Centre - cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3. Students need to clear this exam in order to apply for admission to colleges for medical studies. The NTA said it will announce a new date for the exam.
The 'patient zero' of this paper leak has been traced allegedly to Maharashtra's Nashik, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The paper then reached Haryana's Gurugram and Rajasthan's Jaipur, sources said, adding those behind the fraud circulated the leaked questions a day before the exam. The Biology question papers matched with those from the actual paper.
The gaze of Opposition party leaders fell on what they alleged to be a commonality in the matter - all the three states have BJP governments.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi led the Opposition attack on the Centre and in his own words, the "exam mafia", and aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a swipe alluding to the prime minister's "exam warrior" or "Pariksha Pe Charcha" initiative.
"... The hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students have been crushed by this corrupt BJP regime. Some fathers took loans, some mothers sold jewellery, lakhs of children stayed up all night studying, and in return, they got paper leaks, government negligence, and organised corruption in education," Rahul Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
"This is not just a failure; it's a crime against the future of the youth. The Prime Minister's so-called amrit kaal has turned into a vish kaal (poisoned era) for the country," Gandhi said.
Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said the paper leak would not have been possible without large-scale malpractice. Gehlot alleged the BJP government in Rajasthan tried to hide the matter for nearly two weeks, and in doing so they have been "playing with the future of lakhs of youth."
The Rajasthan Congress leader, however, welcomed the NTA's move to cancel the exam, and hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), calling them "bold steps taken in the interest of students and fairness".
"The cancellation of the NEET UG examination clearly indicates that irregularities occurred on a massive scale... The BJP government in Rajasthan had previously concealed the OMR sheet scam involving the Staff Selection Board to avoid bringing disrepute to the administration," Gehlot said, sharpening his attack on the Centre.
"Due to weak legal representation, the accused in that case were even granted bail. Similarly, an attempt was made this time as well to suppress information regarding the NEET UG exam leak; in fact, not even an FIR was registered. Now, the truth has come to light, and the true face of the BJP government stands exposed," the former Rajasthan chief minister said.
One of the top organisations of medical professionals, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), has sought a time-bound investigation and strict accountability of those behind the paper leak, which "shattered the trust of lakhs of sincere aspirants" who have worked hard for years to crack the country's biggest medical entrance exam.
"Such repeated failures expose serious gaps in the system responsible for conducting one of the country's most important examinations," FAIMA national chairperson Dr Jaideep Kumar Choudhary said.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination with 23 lakh registered candidates was held in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.
The RSS students' wing ABVP in a statement asked the Centre to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation into the entire matter. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said the NEET-UG cancellation has created widespread anxiety among lakhs of students and parents across the country.
"ABVP firmly believes that any compromise with the sanctity and credibility of entrance examinations is completely unacceptable. If the question paper, or any part related to it, reaches certain individuals before the examination, it is not merely an attack on the examination system but also an injustice to the future of lakhs of students who work hard throughout the year," the students' wing of the BJP's ideological mentor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said in the statement.
"Simultaneously, until the investigation is completed, the National Testing Agency should maintain complete transparency in the matter and clearly present the facts before students and parents," ABVP said.
The NTA said it decided to cancel the exam after going through inputs in coordination with central agencies and findings shared by law enforcement bodies over the integrity of the exam. The "present examination process could not be allowed to stand," the NTA said, adding it would cooperate with the CBI and give all documents, records and any assistance required for the investigation.
