NEET row: ABVP calls for exemplary action against guilty, demands CBI  probe into paper leaks

New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has come down heavily on the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the irregularities and lapses in conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the National Eligibility Test (NET), demanding a CBI probe into its ‘entire mechanism’. 

Venting his ire over the alleged paper leaks and their impact on lakhs of students, ABVP National General Secretary Yagywalkya Shukla said the credibility of NTA has come under lens because of the recent episodes, adding that it was the legitimate right of the students to raise a hue and cry and lodge protest over its failures.

“The UGC-NET was cancelled after a question paper leak. This raises many questions about NTA’s preparedness. Mismanagement in UGC NET has exposed the shortcomings of the examination body... It shows how ill-prepared it was in conducting the competitive exams,” Shukla said.

He also demanded a CBI probe into the entire row and urged the government to take stringent action against the 'heinous' crime of paper leaks.

“The 24 lakh students who appeared for NEET-UG are concerned about their future. They are all looking at the Education Ministry with much hope. The government must take definitive and exemplary action. No guilty person should be spared and it should become a benchmark so that it’s not repeated in the future,” he said.

Notably, the Education Ministry cancelled the UGC-NET a day after the test was conducted on June 18 following concerns over the exam’s integrity. 

The ABVP General Secretary also demanded the government to strengthen the paper leak law enacted in February 2024 to stamp out the mafia from the system.

“The Education Ministry should take adequate steps not just for putting an end to paper leaks, but also to assure and convince the students that their future won’t get imperiled because of such episodes,” he said.

Suggesting a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the crisis, the ABVP leader said, “The Centre should ensure that transparency is maintained in competitive as well as entrance exams and they must remain devoid of any malpractices.”

It becomes incumbent upon the government to take all necessary steps to maintain the sanctity of exams while ensuring the candidates' unflinching faith in the system, he said.