Members of the Youth Congress staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday against the alleged irregularities surrounding NEET-UG 2026, demanding accountability and transparency from the Central government over the handling of the national medical entrance examination.

The demonstration witnessed the participation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, ministers and several senior Congress leaders.

Protest targets alleged examination irregularities

During the protest, Siddaramaiah and Surjewala were seen releasing T-shirts carrying the slogan “PM is compromised”, while some Youth Congress members also displayed T-shirts reading “I am cockroach”, referring to ongoing political criticism linked to the NEET controversy.

The protest follows nationwide outrage after the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled NEET-UG 2026 amid allegations of paper leaks and examination irregularities.

The entrance examination, conducted on May 3 for nearly 23 lakh students across India, was later scrapped after the NTA stated that findings from internal reviews and law enforcement agencies suggested the examination process had been compromised.

Fresh exam scheduled in June

Following the controversy, the Central government ordered a re-examination and handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has announced that the fresh NEET-UG examination will now be conducted on June 21 under stricter security measures.

The Centre has also stated that NEET-UG will shift to a computer-based examination format from next year as part of broader reforms aimed at improving transparency and preventing future irregularities.

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