PM Modi’s first comment on NEET-UG paper leak case: ‘Those who play with future of youth will not be…’

NEET paper leak row: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first response to the NEET paper leak case, stated that the central government was on a ‘war footing’ to deal with the crisis that has rattled medical aspirants across the country. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts these exams, has also come under fire for alleged rigging in NEET UG, PG and UGC NET.

PM Modi also assured that strict action would be taken against "those who play with the future of the youth" of India. “I will tell every student of the country, every youth of the country, that the government is very serious about preventing such incidents and we are taking one step after another to fulfil our responsibilities on a war footing. Those who play with the future of the youth will not be spared at all,” the PM said.

"Arrests are being made continuously across the country in the NEET case. The central government has already made a strict law. Necessary steps are being taken to strengthen the entire system of conducting the examination," PM Modi added.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a series of petitions on July 8 concerning allegations of paper leak and irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 exam conducted on May 5.

Aspirants raised concerns with the Supreme Court about the leakage of NEET-UG question papers, the allocation of compensatory marks, and anomalies in the exam papers.

On June 13, the Centre and the NTA informed the Supreme Court that they had revoked grace marks awarded to 1,563 candidates. These candidates were then given a choice: either take a re-test scheduled for June 23 or forfeit the compensatory marks awarded for time lost during the exam.

A total of 813 students appeared for the retest held on June 23 across seven centres.

Sanjeev Mukhiya, the accused, allegedly housed around 25 candidates at a boys' hostel linked to Learn Play School in Patna on May 4, just before the NEET-UG exam. According to reports, the candidates were given access to leaked question papers and answer sheets during their stay at the hostel.

The NEET-UG exam, administered by NTA, is the key gateway for admissions into MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other allied courses in both government and private institutions nationwide.

The NEET-UG 2024 was held across 4,750 centres on May 5 and around 24 lakh candidates appeared in it.

(With agency inputs)