New Delhi: The NEET-UG 2024 fiasco took a new turn with four arrested in Bihar confessing that the question paper was leaked a day before the examination.
The arrested include aspirant Anurag Yadav, his uncle Sikander Prasad Yadavendu- a junior engineer at Danapur municipal council – and two others – Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand.
Amit has been identified as the ringleader and he is said to have confessed to arranging the leaked papers and selling those along with answers for Rs 30-32 lakh, according to ABP Live.
The 22-year-old aspirant said his uncle asked him to return from Kota, where he was preparing for the exam. He was then provided with the leaked question paper of the NEET exam, along with the answers. “I was made to read and memorize it at night. When I went for the exam, I found the same questions which I had memorized correctly. After the exam, the police came and caught me, and I confessed to my crime,” India Today reported quoting the purported confession letter.
Yadavendu claimed that Nitish and Amit told him they could leak the question paper of any competitive exam and it would cost Rs 30-32 lakh for each aspirant to clear NEET. “I agreed and told them I have four boys (who need help in passing the exam). On June 4 night, I took them with me and Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand gave them the question paper. Out of greed, I had also asked them for Rs 40 lakh each instead of Rs 30 lakh,” NDTV reported quoting his statement to the cops.
He was caught with the admit cards of the students during a vehicle check the next day.
BJP-RJD Lock Horns
Following the student’s confession, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha claimed that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav was part of the alleged scam.
“Yadavendu is a close relative of Tejashwi Yadav’s PS, Pritam Kumar. On May 1, Pritam Kumar called guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar to book a room for Yadavendu… On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again for booking the room….”
He further alleged that a phone number and ‘Mantri Ji’ were mentioned in the diary of the guest house. “The investigating agency is making efforts to know the identity of this Mantri Ji,” he said.
Sinha also asked Tejashvi to clarify if Pritam Kumar is still his PS. “When Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in Ranchi, Sikander Kumar Yadavendu used to be at Lalu’s service. He was a JE in the irrigation department. They play with the future of the people. They do scams when they are in power and they try to influence the appointment process,” he alleged.
Pradip Kumar has reportedly also confirmed having received calls from Pritam to book a room for Yadavendu on May 1 and then again on May 4. “I asked for a requisition, which he said they would give,” he was quoted as saying by The Mint.
Earlier a report by India Today revealed the involvement of a ‘Mantri Ji’, who allegedly recommended the stay of a NEET aspirant (one of the relatives of the engineer), his mother and other accomplices at a government bungalow in Patna.
Students Seek Retest
While the Union Education Ministry has sought a report from the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit regarding the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET exam in Patna, many medical aspirants are clamouring for a retest.
Student bodies and youth wings of many political parties have been holding protests countrywide to flag their concerns over the alleged irregularities, paper leaks and steep rise in merit list with 67 students scoring a perfect 720, unprecedented in the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) history.
The Centre’s decision to cancel grace marks for 1,563 students has also done little to assuage their concerns.
