NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed a press conference on a day when Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Sinha alleged that an aide of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav provided accommodation to the arrested students in the NEET paper leak case. Pradhan stated that they are coordinating with the Bihar police regarding the alleged paper leak of NEET UG 2024 and affirmed that action will be taken against anyone involved. “Soon everything will be clear whether it’s a lie or truth,” he added.
The Minister further stated that the preliminary investigation has revealed “irregularities in certain areas” and assured students that those responsible for the security breach will face consequences.
Pradhan also announced the establishment of a high-level committee tasked with investigating the issue and reviewing the operations of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
While addressing the UGC-NET which also got cancelled, Pradhan revealed that the UGC-NET examination paper was leaked on Darknet.
“After confirming that the UGC-NET question paper circulating on the Dark Net matched the original, we promptly decided to cancel the examination,” stated Pradhan during a briefing. He added that the question paper that was circulated on the social media platform, Telegram, matched with the original question paper.
The Ministry of Education announced on June 19 the cancellation of the UGC-NET examination, which is conducted twice a year in June and December. This exam assesses the eligibility of Indian nationals for Junior Research Fellowship, appointment as assistant professors, and admission to PhD programs in universities and colleges across India.
“We are committed to conduct a Zero error exam,” said Pradhan. “These failures shouldn’t be taken from a political perspective,” he added. The dates for the next schedule of UGC-NET is still not announced.
On the other hand Rahul Gandhi also held a press conference on the same issue at the Congress office, New Delhi. He said that the main reason for paper leaks is that educational institutions have been dominated by the BJP and its parent organisation RSS and paper leaks will not stop unless that is reversed. “They have hired vice-chancellors that follow RSS ideology and therefore, such mediocre people are running our institutions,” he said.