NEET-UG leak row snowballs as Cong targets BJP links, student groups seek NTA overhaul

The controversy surrounding the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination intensified on Wednesday, with the Congress accusing the BJP government in Rajasthan of attempting to shield those allegedly linked to the paper leak, while student organisations across Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh demanded sweeping reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) and resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The NTA on Tuesday cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, conducted on 3 May following allegations of a paper leak and examination irregularities. The Centre has handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Congress attacks Rajasthan BJP

In Rajasthan, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that one of the accused in the leak case, Dinesh Binwal, was associated with the BJP and questioned why the state government had not registered an FIR earlier despite receiving inputs about the alleged leak.

“The accused arrested in the NEET-UG paper leak case, Dinesh Binwal, is a functionary of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Gehlot claimed in a post on X while sharing a purported poster identifying Binwal as a district office-bearer of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in Jaipur Rural.

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully also questioned the BJP government over the delay in filing an FIR and alleged attempts to suppress the case.

The Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group has detained more than 150 people and handed around 20 individuals to the CBI for questioning.

However, Rajasthan BJP vice-president Mukesh Dadhich denied that Binwal held any official position in the party.

Binwal’s family members have claimed he was falsely implicated.

Student protests intensify

In Ranchi, members of the All India Students' Association (AISA) staged a demonstration demanding accountability for the leak and calling for the dismantling of the NTA.

Protesters carried placards reading “Scrap National Testing Agency” and “Re-Examination is not a solution to corruption”.

AISA Ranchi district president Vijay Kumar alleged that the leak had exposed “deep-rooted corruption” within the NTA and affected more than 22 lakh candidates nationwide.

AISA activist Sonali Kewat demanded Pradhan’s resignation and called for creation of a transparent and autonomous examination body.

Meanwhile, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) described the NEET controversy as a “systemic failure” that had shaken public trust in the country’s medical entrance examination system.

AAPSU president Meje Taku demanded structural reforms in the NTA, including independent audits and stronger question paper security mechanisms.

The Arunachal students’ body also highlighted the limited number of NEET centres in the state, noting that only four centres — Itanagar, Basar, Namsai and Pasighat — had been allotted for NEET 2026, forcing many students from remote districts to travel long distances at high cost.

AAPSU demanded additional examination centres in districts including Tawang, Bomdila, Tezu, Ziro and Roing, besides reimbursement for candidates who had already travelled for the now-cancelled examination.

The widening political and student backlash has intensified pressure on the Centre and the NTA, with growing calls for accountability and reforms to restore credibility in India’s competitive examination system.