The government has postponed the NEET-PG 2024 examinations following rising controversy regarding alleged exam “irregularities” in the NEET-UG exam held on May 5
Our Bureau
New Delhi
Days after the Union Health Ministry postponed the National Eligibility and Entrance Test postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 examination slated for June 23, President, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences Abhijat Sheth on Tuesday said that the SOPs and protocols will be reviewed as soon as possible and the next date for the examination will be declared by next week.
Sheth’s statement came after a review meeting held between officials of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences and the Union Health Ministry, to access the situation and input received by the government before postponing the examination. The government has postponed the NEET-PG 2024 examinations following rising controversy regarding alleged exam “irregularities” in the NEET-UG exam held on May 5.
Further, on the advisory issued against social media messages, and fraudsters, warnings, he said, “This was for protection; that’s why we published the SOPs before the examination, this is all perception, social media is so vast these days that sometimes it gives the wrong message to the students, and we wanted students should remain on the right path.”
Following the paper leak controversy around the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical undergraduates and cancellation of UGC-NET due to “lack of integrity”, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Tribal Students Union (TSU), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Tribal Youth Federation (TYF) jointly organized a large-scale protest against rampant corruption in examinations that are held nationwide and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The demonstrators, comprising thousands of students and youth, took to the streets to voice their outrage over the repeated instances of corruption that have jeopardized the futures of millions of students. The protesters assembled in major cities, holding placards and chanting slogans, demanding the immediate resignation of the Union Education Minister.
They argue that the “minister’s failure to address the issues within the examination system has led to widespread disillusionment and frustration among students, whose dreams and futures are being unfairly compromised”.
Similarly, representatives from the DYFI, TSU, and TYF echoed these sentiments, calling for immediate and concrete measures to be taken to restore faith in the examination process.
Protesting students highlighted the emotional and psychological toll on students who prepare rigorously, only to find their efforts undermined by corrupt practices.
The protest, which saw participation from students and youth across different regions, also included calls for “comprehensive reforms in the examination system”. These reforms, they argue, are “essential to ensure transparency, fairness, and the protection of students’ rights”.
Meanwhile, the Bihar government on Monday issued a notification regarding handing over the NEET-UG paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In the notification, the government said, “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 6 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act, 1946 (Act 25 of 1946), the Governor of Bihar is pleased to give his assent to the Delhi Special Police Establishment, who have been entrusted with the exercise of powers and jurisdiction in the state and other places related to the case to investigate/supervise and investigate the irregularities in the NEET (UG) 2024 examination held on May 5, 2024.”
Notably, the Bihar government had handed over the investigation of alleged irregularities in the 2024 NEET-UG exam to the CBI for a thorough probe.
“Bihar government is to hand over the case related to the irregularities in the NEET UG examination held on May 5 to the CBI. The CBI team is expected soon in Patna to take over the investigation of the case. Economic Offences Unit shall hand over all the updated case records to CBI,” Economic Offences Unit (EOU) DIG, Nayyar Hasnain Khan had said on Sunday.
After taking over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG exams in 2024, the CBI formed special teams to investigate the case, the central agency said in a statement on Sunday.
This comes after the central government entrusted the CBI with the matter of alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam in 2024 for a comprehensive investigation.
