Friends, for last few days you must be reading/hearing in media about NEET Leak. What is this all about?
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to undergraduate (MBBS/BDS/Ayush Courses) every year. As per Government of India, it is a mandated requirement to qualify NEET Exam to study medical courses in India and abroad. The test comprises three sections-physics, chemistry and biology. Candidates have to attempt all the questions in order to qualify for admission. The test is conducted once in a year. The candidates can appear for NEET as many times as they desire, as there is no restriction on the number of attempts.
The NEET (UG) exam, held on 5th May has come under severe criticism after reports of irregularities and paper leaks. The central government is facing lots of criticism over this, and the government has transferred this case to CBI. The issue has also reached the Supreme Court (SC) in which the petitioners have sought directions to Bihar Police to expedite the investigations in the case and file a report. The examination was held on 5th My across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared. The result was declared on 4th June.
As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720 marks, unprecedented in the NTA’s history, with six from a centre in Haryana’s Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. There was also a controversy over grace marks awarded to students to make up for the loss of time in six centres. The centre later told the SC that grace marks are being scrapped and 1563 students would be given an option of a retest.
Amidst the controversies, here is complete timeline of developments in the case:
- 5th May– The NTA conducted the NEET on 5th May. After the exam, one Sikandar Yadavendu and two others were arrested by the Patna Police based on the input about the paper leak. On Yadavendu’s identification, the police also arrested Ayush Raj, a NEET aspirant, from the city’s DAV college. Following further leads from these four accused, the police arrested nine more people from Patna, which included NEET aspirants, their family members and others.
- 6th May– Patna police interrogated all 13 arrested individuals and registered a case, after which accused were sent to jail.
- 10th May– The case was transferred to Bihar police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and the arrested were transferred to their custody.
- 21st May– The EOU team wrote to NTA seeking the details and original copies of the answer sheets of as many 11 candidates.
- 4th June– The NTA declared the NEET UG 2024 results.
6 12th June– The NTA shared the copies of answer sheets of 11 candidates to Bihar Police EOU.
- 16th June– Amid a nationwide uproar, the EOU released confessions of the arrested accused which allegedly indicated an exchange of money for the question papers. The statement claimed that medical aspirants paid over Rs 30 lakh each to the brokers for the question papers. During the interrogation, the 56-year old junior engineer with the Bihar government, Sikandar Kumar Yadavendu, reportedly confessed his role and said he was in touch with the families of some NEET aspirants, after which financials were bargained.
- 18th June– The infamous Sanjeev Mukhiya gang’s role emerged in the case. The EOW unit took Sanjeev Mukhiya’s son Dr Shiv who was already in jail, and 10 others on remand in connection with the case. On the same day, a confession note by an engineer deployed at Bihar’s Danapur Town Council, revealed the involvement of a Mantriji (minister) who allegedly recommended the stay of NEET aspirant (one of the relatives of the engineer), his mother and other accomplices at a government bunglow in Patna.
- 19th June– Sikandar Yadavendu, the alleged mastermind of the paper leak, and a junior engineer in the Bihar government were suspended. On the same day, two candidates arrived at the Bihar EOU office for questioning. An EOU team also went to Delhi at the invitation of the Ministry of Education to present the developments in the case.
- 20th June– Bihar Dy CM Vijay Sinha accused RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s secretary, Preetam, of booking a room for Sikandar Yadavendu at the NHAI guest house. Tejashwi Yadav responded to the allegations, stating that the government should call and question whoever they want. Political statements between the RJD and BJP intensified.
- 22nd June– Bihar’s EOU arrested six more people from Deoghar in Jharkhand. All were residents of Nalanda. On the same day, the EOU started preparing to file a disproportionate assets case against Sikandar Yudavendu.
The EOU team also submitted their investigation report to the Ministry of Education in Delhi on 22nd June. The report detailed the progress of the investigations up to 21st June, including evidence and documents related to money transactions.
Following the EOU’s report, the Ministry of Education replaced NTA DG as the first major action. Late at the night, the investigation was also transferred to the CBI.
As per the reports, the focus is now squarely on one man believed to be the epicenter of the leak-Sanjeev Mukhiya. He has been identified by the authorities as the alleged mastermind behind this scandal gripping the NEET.
His involvement in the leak- The controversy erupted after an unusually high number of students scored a perfect 720 in NEET-UG exam. Initially attributed to grace marks due to faulty question and logistic issues, subsequent investigations uncovered a different aspect: the exam paper had been leaked to select candidates a day before the exam.
As per authorities, Sanjeev Mukhiya is believed to have orchestrated the distribution of NEET-UG question papers and answer sheets for 2024 exam. Report suggests that he received these sensitive materials via mobile, sourced from an unnamed professor. Some reports say that he has already fled to Nepal after the controversy snowballed, as the extradition treaty between India and Nepal is very complicating.
Let us see what happens next?
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
25th June 2024
TODAY’S THIS BLOG IS MY BLOG NO 1500. WHEN I STARTED WRITING MY BLOG ON 17TH MAY 2017, I NEVER IMAGINED THAT I WILL REACH THIS MILESTONE NUMBER.
FRIENDS, MANY THANKS FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT, SUGGESTIONS, AND FEEDBACKS ON MY BLOGS.