NEET-UG row: NSUI locks down NTA office in Delhi

Members of NSUI, the Indian National Congress' student wing, barged into the headquarters of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is under the scanner over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams, and locked its doors as a sign of protest on Thursday, 27 June.

Meanwhile, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) also staged a protest in New Delhi, alleging the 2024 NEET-UG exam was a scam.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police lathi-charged IYC members who were protesting at Jantar Mantar, raising slogans and brandishing placards.

'Thousands of IYC workers have come out on the streets of Delhi today, becoming the voice of students suffering from the atrocities of paper leak,' IYC chief B.V. Srinivas said in a post on X.

As NSUI (National Students' Union of India) members stormed into the testing agency's office in Okhla, East Delhi, the protesters led by national president Varun Choudhary raised slogans of "Shut down NTA".

The police were on the spot, trying to control the situation. There was no immediate reaction from NTA officials.

Visuals from the scene shared by the NSUI show scores of its members raising slogans inside the NTA building. They also show students locking the entrance of the NTA office.

'No more Corrupt NTA. #NTA BAN', read a message pasted on the iron lock and chain.

"Apparently, the NTA locked the door from inside as students were protesting. Subsequently, the protesters also locked the door from outside with an iron chain and lock," a police officer on the scene said.

The protest comes in the wake of alleged irregularities and reports of paper leak in national level examinations such as the NEET-UG, NEET-PG and UGC-NET conducted by the NTA.

"We demand that the NTA be banned and a more reliable, transparent system be put in place," Choudhary said during his address at the protest, adding:

The NEET-UG — the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) — was conducted by the NTA on 5 May, with around 24 lakh candidates sitting for it. The results were announced on 4 June, but they were followed by allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar, besides other irregularities.

The education ministry also cancelled the UGC-NET (University Grants Commission–National Eligibility Test) and the NEET–PG (postgraduate) examinations after receiving inputs that the exams' "integrity may have been compromised".

With PTI inputs