Sources confirm that India's National Testing Agency (NTA) has sealed off examination centres for the resit of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) with unprecedented security measures. This comes after the original exam was compromised by a paper leak that investigators describe as a 'systematic operation' involving insiders and organised crime. Uncovered documents reveal that the leak network spanned four states and involved at least 20 individuals, including examination officials and private coaching centres.
The NTA has mandated biometric verification, metal detectors, and real-time CCTV monitoring for all 1,200 centres across the country. But sources inside the agency say the real target is not the students. They are following the money.
The paper leak industry is estimated to have moved over 500 million rupees through shell companies and dummy accounts. The question remains: who at the top authorised this? The Ministry of Education has remained silent, referring all queries to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
But the CBI's track record in high-profile cases is patchy at best. For the millions of students who sat through the original exam in honest faith, this resit is a cruel necessity. For the rest of us, it is a countdown to the next scandal.