Government’s big step after NEET-UG paper leak, possible entry of Air Force in security of question papers

New Delhi: After the alleged question paper leak controversy in NEET-UG exam, the central government now seems to be very cautious regarding the exam security. For the proposed re-examination on June 21, the government is considering taking the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF), so that the question papers can be transported across the country with complete security. It is believed that this time only military level monitoring and security arrangements can prove effective in stopping any possible leak.

High level meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh

According to sources, a high-level meeting was held in New Delhi on Thursday under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, in which many senior officials including Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia participated. In the meeting, preparations for the re-examination and safe transportation of question papers were discussed in detail. Officials considered the possibility of using Indian Air Force aircraft to safely transport question papers to different states and examination centres.

However, a final decision has not been taken yet on this proposal. According to reports, this scheme can be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for final approval. It is being told that the Prime Minister himself is keeping an eye on the preparations for the re-examination to be held on June 21 and he is being given regular information about every stage.

All aspects of the examination process were reviewed in the meeting, which included issues like question paper preparation, printing, packing, transportation and security arrangements. Director General of National Testing Agency (NTA) Abhishek Singh and many senior officials of the Education Ministry were also present in this meeting.

It is noteworthy that the NEET-UG examination was conducted on May 3 in 551 cities of the country and 14 centers in foreign countries. About 23 lakh students had participated in this examination. Within a few days of the examination, complaints of question paper leaks and irregularities started coming to light. According to NTA, information in this regard was received for the first time on May 7, after which the matter was shared with the investigating agencies.

Announcement of re-examination on June 21

Amidst the growing controversy and continuously arising questions, NTA canceled the examination on 12th May and announced to conduct the examination again on 21st June. Later, on the complaint of the Education Ministry, CBI registered a case and started investigation. The agency conducted raid operations in many states of the country and arrested the accused from many cities including Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Pune, Nashik, Latur and Ahilyanagar.

According to CBI, 13 people have been arrested so far and the original source of the leaked question papers has also been identified in the investigation. Now the government is trying to conduct the re-examination in a completely fair and safe environment.