Patna (Bihar):Amid allegations of paper leak in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 row, police in Bihar have arrested several people, some of them aspirants, who have confessed to having access to the actual question paper day before the examination.
The mastermind behind the alleged paper leak has also confessed to leaking the paper to several candidates for a price ranging from Rs 30-32 lakh. Among those arrested by Patna Police are Anurag Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Amit Anand -- all aspirants -- and Sikandar Yadavendu, a junior engineer at the Danapur municipal council.
Officials at Shastri Nagar police station in Patna obtained confessional statements of all the four accused. Amit Anand was allegedly the mastermind behind the 'paper leak' who colluded with Yadavendu, the uncle of Anurag Yadav.
Student Confesses He Got Paper Day Before Exam
In his confession to police, Anurag, 22, said his uncle had summoned him from Kota in Rajasthan to Samastipur in Bihar saying that all arrangements for the exam had been made.
Anurag said he was handed the NEET exam question paper and answer sheet on the eve of the exam that was held on May 5 and was made to memorize the answers.
"I returned from Kota and was taken to Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar by my uncle on the night of May 4, 2024, where I was given the NEET exam question paper and answer sheet, which I was made to study and memorize overnight. My examination centre was DY Patil school," he said.
The NEET aspirant further said when he saw the actual question paper on the examination day, it matched with the one that his uncle had provided. "The question paper that I received at my examination centre was the same that I was made to study and memorize on the night of May 4. I accept my involvement in the crime," Anurag said.
Rs 32-32 Lakh Price
Sikander Yadavendu, in his confession, said that he was told by Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar about the paper leak before the test. “Amit and Nitish told me that the question papers for NEET would be leaked and it would cost about Rs 30–32 lakh. I agreed and told them about four students -- Ayush Kumar, Anurag Yadav, Shivanand Kumar, and Abhishek Kumar. On May 4, I took all four students to a place where aspirants were already cramming up answers for all the questions."
"Out of greed, I asked for Rs 40 lakh from each student instead of the original amount. However, I was later caught by the police,” Yadavendu said, revealing the chain of events leading to the NEET paper leak.
Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand, in their statement to the police, admitted their role in the paper leak and revealed how their collusion with Yadavendu led to their arrest.
"After Yadavendu was arrested, he directed the police towards us. The police also raided the spot where the students were given the leaked papers. They also found the remaining pieces of the burnt question papers," the duo said in their statement to the police.
The confessions were taken under Section 161 of the CrPC. The NEET-UG 2024 exam was conducted on May 5 and the results were declared on June 4, ahead of its scheduled announcement date of June 14. Protests were held alleging irregularities and paper leaks as the results showed that as many as 67 students had topped the exam with a perfect score of 720.
ADG EOU Summoned by Education Ministry, MHA
Bihar's Economic Offenses (EOU) Unit ADG Nayyar Hasnain has been summoned by the Ministry of Education and the Union Home Ministry in the case. The Ministry of Education and the Home Ministry have sought a report to get information about the EOU investigation so far regarding the alleged 'paper leak'.
The EOU team, sources said, will provide information related to the paper leak to the Ministry of Education. EOU has collected evidence related to the paper leak such as burnt question papers, OMR sheets, post dated cheques, booklet numbers, mobile phones and documents related to the candidates. A senior official of the ministry said that a report was sought from EOU regarding irregularities during the exam in Patna. "After receiving the report, further action will be taken by the government," he said.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), paves the way for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. Petitions have been filed in courts by students seeking a re-test. On June 13, the NTA informed the Supreme Court that the scorecards of 1563 candidates who were awarded "grace marks" in the NEET-UG 2024 exam would be cancelled, and these candidates would have an option to reappear for the exam on June 23, the results of which will be declared before June 30, or forgo the compensatory marks given for the loss of time.
On Tuesday, the apex court emphasized that any negligence, even as small as 0.001 per cent, in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination would be addressed thoroughly. A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti told advocates representing the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) that any such negligence must be dealt with seriously.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice on a plea filed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) seeking the transfer of petitions relating to the NEET-UG, 2024 examination from different High Courts to the apex court. A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath has also stayed proceedings before different High Courts. The apex court reiterated that it will not stop the counselling process.
NSUI (National Students' Union of India) held a protest outside Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's residence in Delhi over NEET and UGC-NET issues on Thursday. The protesters were soon detained by Police. (With agency inputs)
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