Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 16 : Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad on Saturday slammed the government over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy and demanded accountability, saying repeated exam leaks were destroying the future of the country's youth.
Reacting to the arrest of a Pune-based Chemistry lecturer, PV Kulkarni, by the CBI in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case, Prasad said strict action must be taken against all those involved, and the examination should be conducted again.
"Lakhs of young candidates applied, with parents struggling to pay fees for their children's future. Playing with fate is unacceptable. Our nation's wealth is not gold or silver, but its youth. Today, young people are committing suicide. This is happening in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. Not only NEET, but many exams have faced paper leaks. The government is responsible. It must accept accountability, conduct NEET again, and take strict action against those guilty," Prasad told ANI.
Meanwhile, members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest outside the office of the National Testing Agency (NTA) 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 Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, demanding justice for aspirants.
The protest comes amid an ongoing CBI investigation into the alleged paper leak racket.
Earlier on May 15, the Rouse Avenue Court remanded accused Dhananjay Lokhande to six days of CBI custody in the NEET-UG paper leak case. According to the CBI, Lokhande allegedly collected the leaked NEET examination material from co-accused Manisha Waghmare of Pune and passed it on to accused Shubham Madhukar Khairnar.
The agency informed the court that digital evidence, WhatsApp chats, bank transactions and PDF copies of leaked question papers for Physics, Chemistry and Biology had been recovered during the investigation.
The CBI further alleged that the accused persons were involved in distributing leaked question papers through Telegram for monetary gains, with deals reportedly running into lakhs of rupees.
Five other accused, including Shubham Khairnar and Yash Yadav, are also currently in CBI custody as the agency continues to probe the larger conspiracy and identify alleged NTA officials linked to the leak.
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