Anger over alleged malpractice of cheating in India’s most competitive medical entrance exam, NEET

India's prestigious NEET medical entrance exam has sparked outrage over alleged irregularities like question paper leaks after an unprecedented number of students scored perfect marks, leading to protests and calls for a re-exam.

India has been recently shocked by the results of one of the most important medical entrance exams when hundreds of students got zeros, and numerous others had the same score of 190 out of 190.

Out of a total of 11, 67 students secured the maximum possible score of 720 in the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), which is mandatory for those who wish to get into medical colleges in India this year. This was a stark improvement from previous years whereby normally only 1-3 students would get it right and get full marks.

These strange scores have instigated protests from students and parents demanding a court ordered investigation and retake. They accused the government of systematic cheating and corruption and even reported cases of leakage of question papers in some of the exam centers.

For instance, in Bihar policemen arrested 13 people including students for attempting to sell the questions a day to the exam for good amount of money. The investigations also revealed that there were impersonators hired with the aim of sitting for the exam on behalf of the candidates.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts NEET at first dismissed all the allegations and said that high scores were as a result of increased number of students sitting for the test. However, the Education Minister stated that there were ‘some irregularities’ that were found out at some of the testing centers.

The Supreme Court has now cancelled some of the ‘grace marks’ given by NTA and demanded an inquiry over the allegations. It will sit to hear petitions that seek to have NEET cancelled in July.

It has become political with the opposition parties alleging that the ruling BJP government is trying to shield the guilty and letting down the student community dreams.

Every year lakhs of aspirant sit for NEET exam to get one of the few medical seats in India. However, this year’s confusion leaves even those who scored high grades wondering if they can get an admission, thus causing a lot of anxiety to those who took their time and effort in preparing.

Also Read: PAN Card Misuse Fraud prevalent in India: Massive Scam Exposed

While more and more people demand justice, everyone awaits the Supreme Court’s verdict that may either transform dreams into reality for hundreds of thousands of medical aspirants in India or not.