NEW DELHI: More than 2,000 medical students in India are today retaking a crucial entrance examination under armed guard, after a widespread cheating scandal compromised the integrity of the original test. The resit, conducted at high-security centres across the country, follows the cancellation of the August 2024 National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical courses.
The scandal, which has embroiled the country's medical education system, came to light after investigators uncovered a network of impersonators, leaked question papers, and bribed officials. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has so far arrested 46 individuals, including several medical college administrators and a former state education minister.
Students arriving at the exam centres this morning were subjected to strict security checks, including biometric verification and QR-coded admit cards. Armed paramilitary personnel patrolled the perimeters, while inside, invigilators monitored closed-circuit television feeds in real time. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers the exam, said the enhanced measures were necessary to "restore faith in the process".
The scandal has sparked widespread protests among medical aspirants, many of whom say they have lost a year of their careers. "I prepared for two years for this exam," said Priya Sharma, a student outside a centre in Jaipur. "Now I have to sit again because others cheated. It is not fair." The NTA has defended the retest, stating that the integrity of the selection process must be upheld.
The crisis has also become a political liability for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which has faced accusations of failing to regulate the private medical college sector. The opposition Congress party has called for a parliamentary inquiry. Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has promised a "thorough overhaul" of the examination system.
The NEET-UG exam, typically taken by over a million students each year for admission to 85,000 medical seats, is considered one of the toughest in the world. The retest, which will last three hours, will be used to fill approximately 7,000 seats that were left vacant after the original results were cancelled. Results are expected within two months.