NEET paper leak: Police identify link between teachers and agents

Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) students stage a protest over the NEET exam leak issue, at Delhi University. Pic/PTI

The Latur police investigating the NEET-UG paper leak case have identified Gangadhar Gunde as a common link between the other accused teachers and agents. Officials have also discovered that Gunde was in contact with several individuals in Bihar. However, it remains unclear whether these individuals are students or agents assisting students in Bihar with the NEET-UG exam papers. The police have registered a case based on information received from Maharashtra ATS. During their investigation, they discovered four more NEET students' hall tickets, most of which belonged to students from Maharashtra.

Additionally, a parent who had paid the gang through a bank account last year came to the notice of the police. The accused reportedly took money from this parent, promising to assist with medical admissions, but failed to fulfil their promise.

"Monetary transactions have been identified, and the money trails are being verified to determine who received what amount. It is difficult to disclose the exact amounts they charged, as it varied based on the demands from students and parents," said a Maharashtra police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The officials have also found that the four accused, who have been booked by the Latur police have Gunde as their common contact. "As of now, it appears that he is the common link amongst all other accused, including the teachers who have been arrested," the officer said.

Gunde, who is a resident of Sangli and currently works with an automobile company in Gurgaon, was also found in touch with several people in Bihar who are suspected to be NEET -UG aspirants or the local agents involved in the leak case. The Bihar links came during the initial probe of Maharashtra ATS and the officials are trying to verify from the local police but the case is already being taken over by the CBI. "We have found some contacts and WhatsApp chats, which state that Gangadhar was in touch with some people in Bihar. We are yet to ascertain if they are agents or NEET-UG aspirants," said an officer.

According to sources, the Maharashtra ATS initially found eight NEET students' hall tickets on the WhatsApp accounts of arrested teachers Jalil Pathan and Sanjay Jadhav. The Latur police have since discovered four more hall tickets from the accused after their arrest, bringing the total to twelve. The state police are also investigating other Grade C and Grade B exam hall tickets found in the possession of the accused. "It appears that the accused are involved in malpractices related to local state government exams, and we are verifying this," the officer added.

The police have arrested two teachers and two other accused, including Gangadhar, and the ITI instructor Iranna Kongalwar remains at large. Additionally, the police have questioned two more individuals in this case. They are now contacting the students and parents whose hall tickets were found with the accused.

NEET-PG exam delay makes MBBS students anxious

Even as the medical exam board announced on Tuesday that the dates for the NEET-PG exam would be declared next week, MBBS doctors are navigating a fog of uncertainty. Many completed their internships a couple of months ago and were set to appear for the exam, expecting to join the workforce as resident doctors in the near future.

Dr Zeeshan Bagwan, an Amravati resident who was interning at Nair Hospital said he was in Kopargaon with his family of five for his exam a day prior, only for the exam to be cancelled the next day. "There were about 20 people from just Nair who had to travel elsewhere as, like me, they weren't allotted Mumbai, which was their first preference."

"We have one year of bond service ahead. If we are told immediately when the exam is, say if it is next month, then I won't sign up for bond service right now. If it is five months later, then I can at least start my five-month bond and then continue the remaining seven months after PG," he said. Another aspirant, Dr Abdullah Ansari, a Mumbai resident, said the entire incident has taken a toll on him. He was allotted a centre 25 km ahead of Nagpur city. "I have been preparing for this exam since my second year, which was in 2019-2020. I completed my compulsory internship from Nair in May, during and after which I was again preparing for NEET."

He said he has applied for his permanent registration, but even that is taking time to arrive. "It should have arrived in a week, but it looks like it will come after a month," he said. Furthermore, he also flagged the uncertainty in the declaration of the results after the exam. "Even if there is no controversy and the results are on time, with Maratha reservation in the background there will likely be some scenario where the counselling is put on hold," Dr Ansari said.

BMC MARD president Dr Gaurav Naik, who works at KEM Hospital, said the move has the potential to hamper patient care. "Delays pose a risk that we will be one batch short of resident doctors," he said. "This is not the first time the exam has been postponed. A similar case happened in 2021, a night before the exam, and we were told it was because of COVID-19. This exam used to happen around March or April."

- Eshan Kalyanikar