NEET-UG row: Bihar aspirant confesses to getting leaked paper via uncle

While the Union education ministry awaits a report from the Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit regarding alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 in Patna, an aspirant from Bihar has admitted to receiving the leaked question paper through his uncle, a junior engineer.

In his confession letter, Anurag Yadav (22), a resident of Bihar’s Samastipur, said his uncle Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, an engineer deployed at Bihar’s Danapur Town Council (Danapur Nagar Parishad), asked him to return from Kota in Rajasthan, saying all arrangements for the exam had been done.

Yadav said he received the NEET exam question paper and answer sheet on 4 May, a day before the exam, and was made to memorise the answers.

“I returned from Kota and was taken to Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar by my uncle on the night of 04.05.24, where I was given the NEET exam question paper and answer sheet, which I was made to study and memorise overnight,” he said.

The NEET aspirant further said when he sat to write the exam, the actual question paper, matched with the one his uncle provided.

The Patna Police claim to have found the roll numbers and roll codes of the 11 candidates linked with a solver gang.

Later, when the case was transferred to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU), it asked the NTA to provide information on all 11 candidates. After receiving the details, notice was served to these candidates to join the probe.

Earlier, union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan accepted that there were 'some irregularities' in 'some places'. He has said that if the senior officials of the NTA are also found guilty in this, then strict action will be taken against them.

“Candidates and parents should be assured. The central government has taken this matter seriously. There is a need for improvement in NTA,” he said.

Observing that students have to work hard while preparing for these examinations, the Supreme Court meanwhile has said that the litigation pertaining to the NEET (UG) 2024 ought not be treated as adversarial.