NEET UG aspirants describe the cancellation of the exam as a crushing blow after they have sacrificed valuable years and invested heavily in coaching. | Photo credit: File Photo
The cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of question paper leak has created outrage, anxiety and emotional distress among students and parents in Andhra Pradesh.
Applicants who have spent months and even years preparing for the highly competitive entrance medical exam say they are overwhelmed by the uncertainty surrounding the exam.
Many students described the cancellation as a crushing blow after they had sacrificed valuable years and invested heavily in coaching.
Panchadarla Harshini, a NEET aspirant from Vijayawada, said she was shaken by the re-exam notification. Ms. Harshini completed a year post secondary education integrated with NEET coaching from a private institution in Vijayawada.
Last year, she failed to secure a medical chair and spent the next year exclusively preparing.
“Though there were rumors of a paper leak before the May 3 exam, I initially dismissed them. However, the confirmation of the cancellation disappointed me,” she told The Hindu.
Another student, Rodda Sathwika, said she enrolled in an integrated NEET coaching program during her intermediate years and after a gap of one year, enrolled for a long-term coaching course. “After the cancellation of the exam, I feel like all my efforts were in vain,” she said.
Both students and parents have expressed concern about the emotional toll of repeated irregularities in national-level examinations.
Ashmit Adams, a student from Visakhapatnam who appeared for the exam, said that genuine aspirants pay the price for the misbehavior of others.
He said thousands of students who prepared honestly are now paying the price for irregularities beyond their control. “The situation is heartbreaking,” he said, adding that the controversy has crushed the dreams of many deserving candidates.
Mr. Ashmit’s father, James Adams, director of the Eye Hospital, Dr. Agarwalse in Visakhapatnam, noted that even if the examination was repeated, students would find it difficult to maintain the same momentum and continuity of preparation. Parents are concerned that the delay and uncertainty could affect pupils’ self-esteem and mental well-being.
The matter also provoked strong political reactions. Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila slammed the central government and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not ensuring fair conduct of national-level exams.
She claimed that repeated incidents of paper leaks in states like Gujarat, Bihar and Rajasthan point to the existence of a growing “paper leak network” under the BJP government.
Accusing the National Testing Agency (NTA) of failing to protect the integrity of the examination process, Ms Sharmila said the alleged leak of 122 questions nearly 48 hours before the exam exposed serious flaws in exam management.
APCC Congress vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji termed the allegations as deeply shameful, citing claims that question papers were allegedly sold for amounts ranging from ₹30,000 to ₹3,000.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Parents’ Association has demanded a high-level independent inquiry into the matter. The association said the inquiry should scrutinize the NTA’s security systems, the question preparation process and the possible involvement of coaching centres.
Student organizations intensified the pressure on the authorities. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) demanded a fair and time-bound inquiry by central agencies. Leaders of the Students Federation of India (SFI) condemned what they described as the Centre’s failure to ensure the sanctity of the examination.
(With inputs from Paul Nicodemus of Visakhapatnam)
Published – 12 May 2026 22:19 IST
