New Delhi [India], May 16 : Amid the swirling controversy surrounding the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, Congress MP Manoj Kumar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Centre, demanding accountability at the highest level.
Speaking to ANI, Kumar termed the incident "very unfortunate" and a "betrayal of the country".
The opposition has intensified its cornering of the government as protests by students and aspirants continue to grow across the nation over the integrity of the medical entrance examination.
"The incident of NEET paper leak is very unfortunate, and this is not the first time. This raises questions about all the departments related to the NEET paper. When will we fix this? Why is this happening? This is a betrayal of the country. The Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should take accountability," he said.
Meanwhile, members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest outside the office of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in Delhi following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination over allegations of a question paper leak.
The protesting students carried locks and chains symbolising the shutdown of the NTA and raised slogans against the agency and Dharmendra Pradhan, demanding justice for aspirants.
The protest comes amid an ongoing CBI investigation into the alleged paper leak racket.
This comes after a 20-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide in Azadpur in the national capital.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday said it has identified and arrested the kingpin involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case.
According to the CBI, the accused, identified as PV Kulkarni, is a Chemistry lecturer associated with the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency and allegedly had access to the NEET-UG 2026 question papers.
The agency said its investigation revealed that during the last week of April 2026, Kulkarni, along with another accused, Manisha Waghmare, organised special coaching classes for selected students at his residence in Pune. Waghmare was arrested by the CBI on May 14.
CBI has made a total of seven arrests in the case.
As this happened, Pradhan on Friday announced that the NTA will conduct the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21 and said the exam will shift to Computer- Based Test (CBT) mode from next year as part of reforms aimed at ensuring transparency. He assured the students that they would not let malpractice happen again in the examination and said the government's topmost priority was the future of students.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor