Delhi. A tense atmosphere. The resit of India’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical students is underway. Security is unprecedented. Biometric checks. Jammers blocking signals. Sniffer dogs. The government is terrified of another leak.
But the real drama is elsewhere. British universities are watching. Privately, they are furious. They fear the integrity of the entire pipeline of Indian doctors. One vice-chancellor told me: "We have no confidence in the results. We are considering pausing admissions."
The scandal broke last month. Question papers were leaked. Arrests were made. But the damage is done. Thousands of students are taking the test again. But the question lingers: is the system broken?
Sources in the Ministry of Education say the resit is a "message of deterrence." They insist the new measures are foolproof. But the trust deficit is vast. Senior medics in the UK have written to the General Medical Council, demanding a review of Indian qualifications.
Politics is playing a role too. The opposition is hammering Modi's government. "Chaos and cronyism," they call it. The PM's office is silent. But lobbyists tell me there is panic. India sends thousands of doctors to the NHS. A rupture would be catastrophic.
One insider described the exam hall as a "military zone." Students are searched multiple times. Mobile phones are banned. Even pencils are checked. But the real test is not just the exam. It is whether India can restore faith.
The clock is ticking. Results are expected in two weeks. British universities will then decide. If they pull the plug, it will be a seismic shift in medical migration. And the government here will have a full-blown crisis on its hands.
For now, all eyes are on the exam centres. And on the backroom negotiations between London and New Delhi. The game is on.
