Aspirants leave the examination center after appearing for the NEET 2026 exam in Jaipur. File | Photo credit: ANI
Following allegations that the question paper for the NEET-UG 2026 entrance exam held on May 3 was leaked, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the test, said it was aware of reports of action initiated by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) over alleged irregularities.
“Estimating paper” leak
The alleged irregularities include a “guess paper” that was circulated before the exam, which allegedly contained questions that closely matched the actual paper.
SOG Rajasthan Police Additional Director General Vishal Bansal said the agency is verifying whether the circulation of the material is linked to organized crime.
According to the Rajasthan Police, the alleged estimate was circulated among candidates almost a month before the final exam and was distributed orally and through photocopies. “We have also found traces of guessing paper that were digitally traveling through WhatsApp chats of candidates who had appeared for the exams,” Mr. Bansal said.
He said the 150-page PDF document had 410 questions, including 120 chemistry questions that matched those that appeared in the final exam. No arrests have been made yet, he added.
NTA’s response
“The NTA is aware of the anxiety that reports of this nature can cause and we request candidates to give the (investigating) agencies space to complete their work. All necessary steps will be taken in consultation with the Ministry of Education at the appropriate stage,” the NTA said in an official statement.
NTA officials said that late on the evening of May 7, four days after the investigation, the agency received tips regarding the alleged misconduct. “These inputs were escalated by NTA to central agencies on the morning of May 8 for independent verification and necessary action,” officials said.
“NTA confirms that it is working closely with them in a fully supportive role, providing all data related to the investigation and technical assistance requested,” the statement said.
The statement further said that the examination was conducted as per schedule and under full security protocol, adding, “Question papers were transported in GPS-tracked vehicles with unique, traceable watermark identifiers. Examination halls operated under CCTV monitoring from a central control room with biometric verification of each candidate and 5G jammers.”
“The examination process itself took place in all centers according to plan,” he added.
The statement added that the matter is currently under investigation and the facts will be established by the investigating authorities in due course. “The NTA will not prejudge the investigation or characterize its likely outcome. Whatever the authorities determine – including findings that may require further action – will be transparently investigated and published in accordance with established procedure.”
Leaked network under the probe
Investigators said the question bank allegedly originated from a medical student from Chur who was studying in Kerala and was given to an associate in Sikar on May 1 and then to an operator of a paying guest facility before being widely circulated among aspirants paying between ₹30,000 and ₹5,000 lakh. The Rajasthan SOG has interrogated thirteen suspects from Dehradun, Sikar and Jhunjhunu over the past four days.
Political resistance
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on X that the questions were allegedly circulated on WhatsApp 42 hours before the exam and that more than 22 lakh students were affected.
He said the exam had been “compromised”, alleging that NEET had effectively become an auction, with questions being sold on messaging platforms ahead of the exam.
Mr. Gandhi further said that there were claims of 89 paper leaks over 10 years and 48 re-examinations, saying that repeated assurances were followed by silence and that he stood by the students.
Published – 11 May 2026 16:03 IST
