New Delhi:

Forty-eight per cent of students who were scheduled to retake the NEET-UG today did not turn up, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said in a statement. After a Supreme Court order, 1,563 students who were given grace marks were eligible to take the retest today, the NTA said.

Of the total, 813 (52 per cent) gave the retest and 750 skipped, shows data released by the NTA this evening. The NTA had opened seven exam centres in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Meghalaya, and Chandigarh, a Union Territory.

#JustIn | NEET-UG 2024 retest: Only 52% (813 out of 1563) students turned up for the retest today. pic.twitter.com/JZzsxmDh8c

— NDTV (@ndtv) June 23, 2024

Below is the list of how many students gave the retest, how many skipped, and the locations.

Chandigarh: 2 eligible, both absent.

Chhattisgarh: 602 eligible, 311 absent, 291 took retest.

Gujarat: 1 eligible, and the student turned up.

Haryana: 494 eligible, 207 absent, 287 took retest.

Meghalaya: 464 eligible, 230 absent, 234 took retest.

The retest was held on a day the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a first information report (FIR) in connection with alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5. The CBI filed the case following a complaint from the Education Ministry amid protests and litigation by students for a probe into paper leak claims.

Officials said the ministry alleged in the complaint, now part of the FIR, that “certain isolated incidents” happened in a few states during the conduct of the examination. Giving top priority to the case, the CBI has formed special teams that are on their way to Godhra and Patna, where cases of question paper leaks have been filed by the police.

The CBI will take over the investigation of the cases filed by the police in Gujarat and Bihar.

Sixty-three candidates were debarred from all over the country over malpractices during the NEET-UG, the NTA said. They include 17 from Bihar, and 30 from Godhra.

The role of officials, if any, connected with the conduct of the examination and also into the entire gamut of events, and the larger conspiracy will also be under the scanner, officials said.

In a separate matter, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre, the NTA and others on various petitions, including those seeking cancellation of the NEET-UG 2024 exam and a court-monitored investigation.

The Supreme Court also halted proceedings on similar petitions in various high courts.

Amid an escalating row over alleged irregularities in competitive exams NEET and NET, the Centre has postponed the NEET-Post Graduate exams which were to be held today.

The government said the decision was taken in the best interests of students and to maintain the sanctity of examination.

“Taking into consideration the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to undertake a thorough assessment of the robustness of processes of NEET-PG Entrance Examination, conducted by National Board of Examination for medical students,” said the Health Ministry.

Several students and parents expressed anguish after the exam was postponed at the last hour. Many of the students had to travel to other cities to reach their assigned examination centres. 

“Unbelievable. Sir, I unfortunately was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia 6 months earlier. I am in remission now but I have to take oral chemotherapy meds and still prepared day and night for the exam. These people have no idea the difficulty some of us go through,” a student posted on X – earlier known as Twitter.

Unbelievable. Sir, I unfortunately was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia 6 months earlier. I am in remission now but I have to take oral chemotherapy meds and still prepared day and night for the exam. These people have no idea the difficulty some of us go through.

— Kaustav Nayak (@drkaustavnayak) June 22, 2024

“Check this message from my junior. She is a mother now and entire family travelled. Imagine their pain. So much pain for so many students. First keep playing with the exam dates, prepone and now postpone the exams,” an X user said.

Check this message from my junior. She is a mother now and entire family travelled.

Imagine their pain.
So much pain for so many students.

First keep playing with the exam dates, prepone and now postpone the exams.

Doctor bnna aasaan nhi hai is desh me #NEETPGpic.twitter.com/Swe4k96VNV

— Dr. Tanmay Motiwala (@Least_ordinary) June 22, 2024

“I travelled 168 kms , slept n woke to see its postponed. Mera desh mahaan hai,” an aspirant said.

I travelled 168 kms , slept n woke to see its postponed. Mera desh mahaan hai

— DR. Vivek guptha ragi (@frustratedmed) June 22, 2024

“I travelled 470km for exam .i am a resident of Himachal and work in himachal and i have given centre in Haryana’s Hisar by nbems,” a girl said.

I travelled 470km for exam .i am a resident of himachal and work in himachal and i have given centre in hisar haryana by nbems #neetpg

— Akriti (@Akriti_great) June 22, 2024

“What is this? Every other exam has been postponed. Can you imagine how traumatic it could be for students to postpone examinations like #NEETPG one day before the exam? Nobody is giving shit , what’s wrong in conducting exam tomorrow?,” an X user said.

What is this? Every other exam has been postponed. Can you imagine how traumatic it could be for students to postpone examinations like #NEETPG one day before the exam? Nobody is giving shit , what’s wrong in conducting exam tomorrow?#ExamCancelledpic.twitter.com/FXFtF4VPRz

— Mir Waseem (@plzstudyvasu) June 22, 2024

The authorities are under fire over the alleged irregularities in NEET and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam.

The Centre yesterday removed the chief of the National Testing Agency (NTA) from his post. Subodh Kumar Singh, who was NTA director general, has been replaced by retired Indian Administration Service (IAS) officer Pradeep Singh Kharola.

The move came hours after the government constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on reform in the mechanism of the examination process, improvement in data security protocols, structure and functioning of the NTA.

 

It’s exam time again. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance (NEET-UG) retest for 1,563 candidates is being reconducted today after the testing agency withdrew the grace marks awarded to them to make up for the loss of time.

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