The NEET-UG examination scandal, which emerged after a whopping 67 students achieved a perfect score, has led to a massive investigation, which is now been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Saturday (22 June), officials from Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit arrested five people from Jharkhand’s Deoghar district, including one who it says is the “architect” of the alleged NEET (UG) 2024 question paper leak.
Here’s what investigations into the ‘leak’ have revealed so far.
The five arrested
On Saturday (22 June), the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit arrested five members from a house near AIIMS-Deoghar in Devipur police station area. The five arrested were identified as Paramjit Singh alias Bittu, Chintu alias Baldev Kumar, Kaju alias Prashant Kumar, Ajit Kumar, Rajiv Kumar alias Karu, all residents of Nalanda district of Bihar, and Panku Kumar, according to a statement issued by the Deoghar Police.
“The Bihar Police gave us a tip-off. On our identification, they were taken into custody. All the suspects have been taken to Bihar,” SDPO (Deoghar Sadar) Ritvik Srivastava told PTI.
Of the five, Baldev Kumar, who also goes by Chintu, is a close associate of Sanjeev Mukhiya, believed to be the kingpin of an inter-state gang. Incidentally, Mukhiya is also at large at present. An NDTV report has said that Mukhiya may have fled to Nepal after the NEET-UG exam paper scandal broke out.
According to officials, Kumar received the PDF version of the solved question paper on his mobile a day before the exam — the test was conducted on 5 May. He and his accomplices then used a Wi-Fi printer at the Learn Boys Hostel and Play School in Nandlal Chhapra and distributed the copies to aspiring candidates.
The candidates were brought to this location under strict confidentiality, using designated drop-off points and taxis to avoid detection. Mukesh Kumar, the taxi driver, was also arrested, and his vehicle has also been seized.
Burnt pieces of paper — a crucial clue
Officials have said that burnt pieces of paper found at Learn Boys Hostel and Play School located at Nandlal Chhapra have become crucial clues to reveal the NEET-UG exam ‘leak’. They said that the
National Testing Agency
(NTA) provided a copy of the reference question paper and that matched with the burnt pieces of paper found at the school.
The unique exam centre code on the burnt scraps of paper corresponded to an examination centre in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, which indicates a breach at the distribution level.
EOU officials have also raised questions about the transfer of the papers by Blue Dart couriers and its storage by SBI. In fact, it has recorded statements of employees of Blue Dart, which was entrusted with the responsibility of transporting the question papers, and the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Hazaribagh, where the question papers were kept.
A report by The Print citing sources said that the question papers were transported from Ahmedabad to Hazaribagh via Ranchi through Blue Dart. Stored at the local SBI branch, they were then taken to Oasis School in Hazaribagh town through Ravindra Path. The preliminary probe suggests both Blue Dart and SBI did not comply with the norms.
The EOU may now conduct brain mapping and narco-analysis tests of the accused, as per a report by The Hindu.
CBI action
On Sunday (23 June), the CBI, after taking over the investigation, filed an FIR and dispatched teams to states. The CBI filed the FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in NEET-UG under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) among others, following a reference from the Union Education Ministry.
Moreover, the state governments of Bihar and Gujarat also issued a notification to transfer cases of NEET-UG paper leaks registered by their police to the CBI, paving the way for the central agency to take over the investigation.
Additionally, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has cracked the whip against more students as it debarred 17 from centres in Bihar after detection of “malpractices”. The agency had earlier debarred 63 candidates for adopting unfair means in the exam. On Saturday, 30 additional candidates from Gujarat’s Godhara were also debarred.
A political row
The NEET-UG exam ‘leak’ has also become a political row with the Opposition attacking the government on the issue. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge also said the that Modi government should be questioned on the issue, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged the Modi government has handed over the entire education system to the “mafia” and the “corrupt”.
The BJP, however, asserted the government has taken on the NEET issue “head on”. Meanwhile, the Union education ministry’s high-level panel for suggesting exam reforms and reviewing functioning of the National Testing Agency will meet today, as per a PTI news report.
With inputs from agencies
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PDF of question paper, solver gang, and more… What probe in NEET-UG exam leak reveals so far
