New Delhi:

The NEET-UG paper leak that has put a question mark over the future of nearly 24 lakh students has its origins in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh and has strong links to officials from one of its most prominent schools, a CBI investigation has revealed. 

Papers leaked from the city also made their way to Bihar, where the agency has made several arrests in the case, a CBI official said, adding that they have also found evidence to indicate the involvement of a solver gang in the leak. 

Explaining the sequence of events, the CBI official said nine sets of papers for the exam, which was supposed to be held on May 5, reached a State Bank of India branch two days earlier for safekeeping. From there, two sets were transported to the Oasis School in Hazaribagh, which was a centre for the exam, and the seals on them were broken by the time they reached the school.

The principal of Oasis School, Ehsanul Haque, who was the coordinator of the medical entrance exam for the entire district, and vice-principal Imtiaz Alam, who had been designated the National Testing Agency’s (NTA’s) observer and coordinator for the school, did not, however, bring the glaring lapse to the notice of the NTA.

While this pointed the needle of suspicion at them, what confirmed their involvement for the Economic Offences Wing of the Bihar Police, which was initially investigating the case, was evidence found at a safe house in Patna where two other accused in the NEET scam had given the question papers to nearly 30 candidates a day before the exam, at a cost of Rs 30-50 lakh each. 

A partially burnt question paper in the safe house bore the same code as the papers that were meant for the Oasis School in Hazaribagh.

Chain Of Custody

CBI sources said that while it is not clear exactly where the papers were leaked from, what the evidence points to is the fact that it was: (i) Either from the SBI branch (ii) While in transit to the school or (iii) From the Oasis School itself. What is clear, however, they said, is the involvement of Mr Haque and Mr Alam, who had a key role in conducting the exam not only in the school but also in the district.

The school principal, vice-principal and a local journalist, Jamaluddin, who allegedly helped them carry out the paper leak, were arrested by the CBI on June 29. 

Evidence, the sources said, also points to the involvement of the notorious Sanjeev Kumar alias Lutan Mukhiya gang, who have been involved in paper leaks before. The gang got the NEET paper from the accused and took it to their safe house in Patna, where the burnt document was found. 

Testing Agency Silent?

The CBI official said the agency had alerted the Bihar Police about the possible leak on May 5 itself and that’s what led them to the safe house. 

On May 19, the official claimed, the Economic Offences Unit wrote to the National Testing Agency, which conducts NEET, and asked which centre the code from the burnt paper matched. They got no response and the Oasis School link was conclusively established only on June 21, when, during a meeting held by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, the NTA officials told him that the code was from the Hazaribagh school. 

Wider Net

On Tuesday, the CBI arrested two more persons in the paper leak case. One of them is a candidate while the other is the father of another candidate. This has taken its total number of arrests in the case to 11. 

The agency is also now probing the involvement of 22 people who allegedly appeared for the exam on behalf of some of the candidates. 

The CBI is investigating six cases related to the NEET-UG exam. The First Information Report from Bihar pertains to a paper leak, while the remaining – from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra –  are related to impersonation and cheating.

New Delhi:

Amid a row over the NEET exam, another medical exam is being held under close watch of the security and home ministry officials. The health ministry in a statement said that the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) 2024 has begun smoothly across the nation and no untoward incident has been reported yet.

A command centre to monitor the exam has been set up at the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) headquarters in Delhi.

“The content was successfully downloaded at all test centres. The examination started at all examination centres smoothly. A team of officers from MHA has visited NBEMS HQ. No untoward incident has been reported,” an official said.

The FMGE is a screening test for medical graduates to become eligible to practice medicine in the country. It is being held at 71 centres in 50 cities across 21 states. The exam will be held on two shifts — 9 am to 11.30 am and 2 pm to 4.30 pm.

A controversy erupted after 67 students achieved a perfect score of 720 in the NEET-UG exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) attributed this to the awarding of grace marks due to a faulty question and logistical delays in paper distribution at some centres. However, a probe by Bihar police revealed that the exam paper had been leaked to a select few candidates.

The NEET-UG examination, taken by nearly 24 lakh aspiring medical students, was held on May 5, and results were expedited for early release on June 4. Despite the NTA’s attempts to manage the fallout, accusations of a widespread leak persisted, prompting protests and legal actions nationwide. The Supreme Court also intervened, chastising the NTA for its handling of the matter.

As a countermeasure, the FMGE examination is being held under tight security and is being closely monitored by the Centre.

Officials have appointed 255 appraisers across 71 centres, with 53 faculty members serving as a flying squad. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has designated 71 members to visit exam centres. Additionally, 42 NBEMS staff are stationed at the centres, where 35,819 candidates are scheduled to take exams on Saturday.

A command centre has been established at NBEMS headquarters in Dwarka. It is overseeing the examination’s progress with members of the governing body, NBEMS officials, a technical team of 20 TCS officials, and senior police officers.

Live CCTV feeds are monitoring each test centre, while TCS ground teams are resolving operational and logistical issues onsite.

Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has announced stringent measures to combat of paper leaks in the state – a proposed law that involves a 10-year jail term and Rs 1 crore fine and categorises it as a non-bailable offence.

At the recent NDTV MPCG MSME Conclave in Bhopal, Dr. Yadav said, “Very soon, a proposal will come that there will be 10 years imprisonment and strict action”.

The proposed law is more stringent that the Central anti-paper leak law, which has provisions for three to five years of imprisonment for those guilty of cheating. Those organizing the cheating – solver gangs and others — will face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on February 9 and Lok Sabha passed it on February 6.

The decision to bring the new law was taken by the state cabinet amid the huge uproar over paper leaks and other irregularities in the medical entrance examination NEET and a few others.

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi has called the BJP-ruled states the “epicentre of paper leaks,” citing Vyapam — a massive scam that erupted in Madhya Pradesh 15 years ago, involving irregularities in the entrance exams for government jobs.

From there, it has spread to all BJP-ruled states, Mr Gandhi had said, in a reference to the paper leak in the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable exam.

About the Congress uproar in the House over the nursing scam, exposed first by NDTV, Dr. Yadav maintained that the government is open to discussions and legal processes.

“There are many subjects on which there are some legal problems. We are always ready to hold any discussion under the rules and laws,” he said. “The Opposition should come up with good preparations and present their issue before the public. If there is a mistake, we will accept it. But forcing us without any mistake is not right; everyone has to stay within their dignity.”

On a different note, he said the ministers of the state, including himself, will now pay their own income tax. The decision has been echoed by the Leader of the Opposition.

Reacting to an NDTV report about the Madhya Pradesh government paying the income tax of its ministers, Dr. Yadav said, “I am satisfied that now our minister’s will pay their own income tax. We are not royals. We are elected people. We come from the middle of society and understand the value of tax collection”.

New Delhi:

The Centre on Friday operationalised a stringent law that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.

Nearly four months after President Dropadi Murmu gave assent to The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, the Personnel Ministry on Friday night issued a notification, saying the provisions of the law will come into force from June 21.

The move assumes significance amid a raging row over UGC-NET, 2024, exam’s question paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday registered a case to probe the question paper leak of the exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Opposition parties have also alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG, the results of which were announced by NTA on June 4.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 (1 of 2024), the Central Government hereby appoints the 21st day of June, 2024, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” reads the notification.

The notification of the Act comes just a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was asked when the legislation would be implemented. The minister had said the law ministry was framing the rules.

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on February 9. The Lok Sabha passed it on February 6. President Murmu gave approval to the bill on February 12, turning it into a law.

The Act aims to prevent unfair means in the public examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the railways, banking recruitment examinations and the National Testing Agency (NTA) among others.

It has provisions for a minimum of three to five years of imprisonment to curb cheating and those involved in organised crimes of cheating will face five to 10 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 1 crore.

Before this legislation, there was no specific substantive law to deal with unfair means adopted or offences committed by various entities involved in the conduct of public examinations by the central government and its agencies.

The Act is aimed at preventing organised gangs and institutions that are involved in unfair means for monetary gains and protects candidates from its provisions, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)