The CBI on Sunday registered a fresh FIR in connection with the alleged paper leak in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5 and constituted special teams to be sent to Bihar and Gujarat where some accused have been arrested, sources said.
The development came a day after the Centre — which initially dismissed the possibility of a paper leak — announced that the probe into the alleged irregularities would be handed over to the central agency.
Reports of alleged irregularities, including cheating, impersonation and other malpractices, have surfaced.
“The CBI is already probing three cases related to the alleged irregularities in the NEET conducted in 2018, 2021 and 2022 against private education consultants, middlemen and students following cases of impersonation at exam centres. This the fourth FIR that has been registered to investigate the alleged irregularities in the 2024 NEET,” a CBI official said.
Sources said the education ministry had asked the CBI to also probe the role of public servants, if any, connected with the holding of the exam and the larger conspiracy behind it.
“The allegations in the CBI’s FIR state that the NEET(UG) 2024 examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for the examination. The complaint further alleges that certain isolated incidents occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET(UG) 2024 examination,” the CBI said in a statement.
The agency has been asked to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the entire gamut of alleged irregularities, including conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, breach of trust and destruction of evidence by candidates, institutes and middlemen.
“The ministry of education has also requested the CBIto investigate the role of public servants, if any, connected with the conduct of theexamination and also intothe entire gamut of events and the larger conspiracy,” the agency said, adding: “Special CBI teams are being sent to Patna and Godhra wherelocal police cases have been registered.”
Sources said that in its report to the Centre, the Bihar government’s economic offences unit (EOU) has said its probe “clearly suggests a paper leak” in the NEET-UG.
Students across the country have been protesting against the alleged leak and the issue has snowballed into a huge political row. Several suspects have been arrested in Bihar, who, the police said, had admitted to a leak. One of them, a student taking the exam, said he was given the papers the night before the exam.
“The agency is also taking steps to bring under its ambit cases registered in various states by the police. The agency has registered a fresh case against unidentified persons under IPC Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating), among others on a reference from the education ministry,” a CBI official said.
The Centre had on Saturday removed the NTA’s head. The government has also formed a seven-member panel chaired by former Isro head K. Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms in exam mechanisms and processes, improvements in data security protocols and changes to the NTA’s structure and functions.
CBI team attacked
A CBI team probing the UGC-NET paper leak was attacked by a mob in Bihar’s Nawada district on Sunday.
The assaulters also allegedly tried to outrage the modesty of a woman constable accompanying the team.
Local police rescued the CBI team and arrested four people in connection with the assault. They were forwarded to jail late in the evening.
Nawada superintendent of police Ambarish Rahul told this newspaper that the CBI team had not informed the local police about its arrival and called only when they were surrounded by the mob.
