NEET Exam Row: Congress demands CBI investigation into 'corrupt' practices

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged corrupt practices surrounding the NEET UG medical entrance exams. Many students had alleged inflation of marks in the exam, following which the National Testing Agency (NTA) last week announced setting up a four-member panel by the Education Ministry to review the grace marks awarded to more than 1,500 candidates.

"After the BJP came to power, NEET came into existence which has inconvenienced students. It has become an epicentre of corruption. By introducing NEET, the Union government took control over examinations and admissions nationwide. It forced the parents to pay higher fees for the NEET tuition," Patole told reporters in Mumbai. He alleged that "corrupt practices" in the exam are keeping poor students away from admissions to government-run colleges. "We demand to conduct a CBI probe into NEET exams," Patole added.

The NTA had denied any irregularities and said the changes made in the NCERT textbooks and grace marks for losing time at the examination centres were some of the reasons behind the students scoring higher marks. The issue has taken a political turn, with several parties raising questions about the integrity and fairness of the examination process.