CBI to investigate NEET-UG allegations, Central government removes Revenue Commissioner
The central government has also postponed the NEET-PG entrance exam.
Facing criticism over discrepancies in competitive exams, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government on Saturday announced a series of decisions to curb the fallout from the agitation. These include removing the head of the National Testing Agency (NTA), setting up a committee to review the functioning of the agency and transferring the investigation into the NEET-UG irregularities to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The central government has also postponed the NEET-PG entrance exam. Last week, the government called off the exams after it found that question papers of the UGC-NET exam were circulating on the dark web and on Telegram.
To pin the blame for this embarrassing altercation, the central government on Saturday removed Revenue Commissioner Subodh Singh. He has been placed on "standby duty" with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) until further notice.
Pradeep Singh Kharola, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), has been given additional charge of NTA till a new officer is appointed. NTA is the nodal agency that conducts a number of entrance exams every year, including UGC-NET and NEET.
The central government's Ministry of Education has constituted a seven-member committee to review the functioning of NTA and recommend reforms in the organisation. The committee is chaired by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan. The panel members include former director of AIIMS Delhi Randeep Guleria, vice chancellor of Central University of Hyderabad B.J. Rao, and K. Ramamurthy, professor emeritus of civil engineering at IIT Madras. Pankaj Bansal, co-founder of People Strong and trustee of Karmayogi Bharat, Aditya Mittal, dean of students at Delhi Technological University, and Govind Jaiswal, additional secretary in the education ministry. "We are in support of testing that is transparent and free from manipulation and errors. An exam reforms committee has been formed, strict action has been taken against the officials and the case has been handed over to the CBI," India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. He added that the government would protect the interest of students at all costs.
The ministry noted that suspected cases of cheating, fraud, impersonation and illegal activities in the conduct of NEET-UG have been reported. In order to maintain transparency, it said the case would be handed over to the CBI for a "comprehensive investigation".
The Union Health Ministry on Saturday evening announced the postponement of the NEET-PG entrance exam as a "precautionary measure" following instances of irregularities in some of the exams. The decision came a day after the joint CSIR-UGC-NET was postponed. Pradhan, however, denied that the CSIR-NET documents had been leaked and said the exam was postponed for logistical reasons.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the education system has been destroyed under the Narendra Modi government. "Now NEET-PG is also postponed. This is another unfortunate example of how the education system has been destroyed under the Narendra Modi government. It is now clear -- PM Modi, who has been silently watching the spectacle every time, is totally powerless before the paper leak scandal and the education mafia," he wrote in Hindi to Mr X.
Allegations of discrepancies in NEET-UG emerged after a whopping 67 medical students secured perfect marks in one of the toughest exams in the country. Six of the students are from one centre in Haryana. There was also a furor over the awarding of extra marks to some candidates. More than 1,500 students were given a chance to retake the exam.
Last week, Bihar police arrested six people in Deogarh for allegedly leaking the NEET exam. They have now arrested 13 people, including the main suspect, Sikandar Yadavendu. The central government has enacted a law to curb cheating and malpractice in competitive examinations. The law provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for violators. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Cheating) Act, 2024 was passed by President Dhruv Murmu four months ago.
