NEET Row: Student outfits of INDIA bloc parties slam Centre

NEW DELHI: Student outfits of the INDIA bloc parties slammed the BJP-led Centre on Tuesday over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and reiterated their demand that the medical entrance test be held again for all the 24 lakh candidates who had appeared in it.

At a joint press conference here, national leaders of the student outfits, including the Left-backed All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students' Federation (AISF), along with the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and the Congress's student wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI), alleged that the future of lakhs of students is in danger due to rigging in the NEET-UG. The students also demanded the scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over reported incidents of paper leak and corruption in the exam.

The NTA on Monday released the results of 1,563 candidates who appeared in a re-test to compensate for loss of time as the exam started late at six centres on May 5. None of the five candidates who scored a perfect 720 marks in the May 5 exam could match their results in the re-test. The number of candidates sharing the top rank in the medical entrance test reduced to 61 from 67 in the revised results.