NEET Students Protest In Patna Amid Paper Leak Allegations

Amid allegations of a leaked paper in the NEET (UG) 2024 exam, hundreds of students who took the test held a protest on Saturday, demanding a re-examination. The demonstrators gathered at Dinkar roundabout, blocking roads and burning effigies of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Patna police used mild baton charges to disperse the crowd. Similar protests are occurring nationwide over alleged irregularities in the NEET (UG) exam.

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police, investigating the paper leak allegations, issued notices on Saturday to 11 suspects, identified from materials seized from exam racketeers. Among the 11, seven are female candidates from various Bihar districts.

The NTA, initially denying any irregularities, has now shared details of these 11 candidates with Bihar EOU. Previously, EOU arrested 13 individuals, including six racketeers, four candidates, and three parents, all of whom are in custody.

Following leads from those arrested, EOU discovered partially burnt question papers at Learn Play School under Ramakrishna Nagar police station’s jurisdiction in Patna. These papers matched those of NEET (UG) 2024 booklet number 6136488.

Despite requesting the original booklet from NTA a month ago, and despite reminders, EOU has not received it.

Candidates in custody stated they received the question paper on May 4, a day before the exam, identical to the official NEET (UG) paper.

The NEET results, originally due on June 14, were released early on June 4. The exam saw 67 candidates achieving perfect scores, and thousands scoring above 700 marks. Out of 24 lakh examinees, over 13 lakh passed.

NTA announced that grace marks given to 1,563 students would be revoked, requiring them to retake the exam on June 23. However, petitioners seek more than just the removal of grace marks