NEET paper leak: CBI arrests five as protests intensify across country

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested five persons and carried out searches at multiple locations across the country in connection with the alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 question paper. The developments came amid intensifying protests over the cancellation of the examination and growing demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The arrested accused were identified as Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Yash Yadav from Gurugram, and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik. Officials said several other suspects were being questioned in different cities and more arrests were likely.

One of the accused arrested in Jaipur alleged that influential people were being protected while ordinary people were being targeted. “Big people are protected, while ordinary people are harassed,” he said while being taken to Delhi for questioning.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination, conducted on May 3 for admission to undergraduate medical courses, was cancelled by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday following allegations of a paper leak. The cancellation has affected more than 22 lakh medical aspirants across the country.

Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) moved the Supreme Court seeking a complete overhaul of the NTA and its replacement with a technologically advanced autonomous body to restore the credibility of medical entrance examinations.

Political reactions also intensified following the arrests. The Congress and the All India Trinamool Congress alleged that some of the accused had links with the BJP. Social media posts circulated photographs purportedly showing Dinesh Biwal with BJP leaders and ministers in Rajasthan.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot claimed Dinesh Biwal was a BJP functionary and questioned why the Rajasthan government had delayed filing an FIR in the case. However, BJP state vice-president Mukesh Dadhich denied the allegation, saying Dinesh held no position in the party.

Family members of Dinesh Biwal maintained that he and his brother were innocent and had been falsely implicated. His wife Rajni said her husband could not be involved in such an incident, while his mother claimed she had contacted a local MLA after the police detained her sons.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said the paper leak and subsequent cancellation of the examination exposed structural flaws in the system. He reiterated Tamil Nadu’s long-standing opposition to NEET, arguing that the exam disadvantaged rural students, government school students and candidates from economically weaker backgrounds. He demanded that states be allowed to fill medical seats based on Class 12 marks.

Protests over the issue were held in several parts of the country. Congress workers staged demonstrations and burnt effigies of Pradhan, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the matter. Student organisations, including NSUI, IYC and AISA, also held protests seeking the minister’s resignation. Members of ABVP and SFI organised separate demonstrations demanding transparency and strict action against those responsible for the alleged irregularities.

The Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), which initially investigated the case, traced the origin of a “guess paper” containing questions similar to those in the exam to a student from Sikar district pursuing MBBS in Kerala. Investigators said the material was allegedly circulated among coaching students through friends and a hostel owner before the examination.

According to officials, the hostel owner later alerted local police after realising that the question bank had been distributed widely among students. The material was allegedly routed through a person based in Gurugram before reaching candidates in Rajasthan.

Police teams from Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur City, Jaipur Rural and the SOG questioned over 150 candidates, along with their parents and associates, as part of the investigation. Sources suspect that the leak may have originated in Nashik.

The CBI has seized several digital devices, including mobile phones and laptops, for forensic examination to trace how the papers were circulated through messaging applications. A CBI team also visited the NTA headquarters in Delhi to collect documents related to the examination.

In Maharashtra’s Latur district, police questioned six persons, including staff of coaching institutes, after a complaint alleged that 42 questions in a mock test conducted by a private coaching centre matched questions in the NEET examination.

Meanwhile, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal urged students to demand accountability over the alleged leak, claiming repeated paper leak incidents since 2014 had affected the future of millions of students.

Rajasthan minister Jhabar Singh Kharra apologised to students for the hardship caused by the leak and cancellation of the examination, saying both the Union and state governments regretted the situation.
(With PTI inputs)