NEET row: NSUI demands ban on NTA, CBI probe

NEW DELHI: National Students' Union of India (NUSI) president Varun Choudhary on Wednesday demanded the Centre to ban the National Testing Agency (NTA) and conduct a CBI inquiry into the alleged paper leak and corruption in the NEET UG 2024 examination. Addressing a press conference here, Choudhary said the students union will 'gherao' the Parliament on June 24 if their demands are not met. He said he will approach the INDIA block leaders to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over irregularities in the NEET exam and raise the concern in the Parliament.

"We are giving an ultimatum to the Centre to take action against the NTA and ban it by June 24. Our demand is that a high-level inquiry of the NEET scam should be conducted by the CBI under the supervision of retired Supreme Court judges," he said while also announcing another nationwide protest by the Congress on June 21 against the irregularities.

NEET UG 2024: Paper leak, corruption

Citing media reports, Choudhary said that cases of corruption and paper leak in the MBBS qualifying examination were reported in Bihar and Gujarat but Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has refuted the claims. "While there are reports coming from Bihar and Gujarat about paper leak and corruption in the NTA exams and arrests have been made regarding the same, our education minister clearly seems to be trying to safeguard the NTA by outrightly refuting the claims. This shows how serious Pradhan is about the future of the 24 lakh NEET students," he said alleging complicity of the minister in the said scam.

Choudhary also demanded that strict action should be taken against NTA officers found complicit in the case. He added that an FIR was registered against NSUI All India Secretary Honey Bagga for protesting against the irregularities at Pradhan's residence recently.