Nagpur: A day before the re‑examination of the NEET‑UG, a major lapse on the part the National Testing Agency (NTA) came to light when a student from Nagpur found that his revised admit card listed an examination centre in Abu Dhabi.
The aspirant, Abdullah Mohammad Talib, who had been allotted Saraswati Vidyalaya in Nagpur for the original NEET held on May 3 (later cancelled amid the paper‑leak controversy), downloaded the updated admit card for the rescheduled test and discovered the venue named as Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE. The family said the student had indicated Nagpur as his preferred city on the application form and does not possess a passport.
His parents flagged the discrepancy to the NTA, prompting the agency to acknowledge a technical glitch and say it would issue a corrected local admit card after confirming details, ANI reported. The mix-up threw the student and his family into confusion and distress.
The family said the candidate had chosen Nagpur as his first preference, followed by Wardha and Bhandara. Dr Mohammad Talib, the student’s father, said they were shocked to see an overseas centre on the admit card and stressed the impossibility of sending their son abroad: “We are completely unable to send our child abroad for the exam. He does not even have a passport, and there is no time left to make travel arrangements.”
The family registered a complaint through the NTA helpline, which reportedly admitted the mistake and assured them of a revised admit card after verification.
NTA Rectifies Mistake; Probe Underway
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh told India Today that the immediate issue had been resolved and the agency has contacted the candidate. Singh said the NTA is examining how a Nagpur‑based student was allocated an Abu Dhabi centre, noting that city intimation slips were issued on June 7 and admit cards on June 14.
He indicated one line of inquiry is whether the candidate’s account credentials might have been compromised, saying, “Some candidates do not adequately secure their account passwords, which can sometimes lead to such issues.”
Singh added that while the investigation will take time, the agency’s foremost concern was ensuring the student could take the re‑examination. “The immediate priority was to ensure that the student was able to appear for the examination. The enquiry into the matter will continue alongside,” he said.
Following the incident, the NTA reminded candidates to secure their login details and to promptly report any inconsistencies in their city intimation slips or admit cards.
