"Appeal for probe in paper leak; issue raises big question," says BJP's Nishikant Dubey on NEET exam row

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], June 23 : Amid an escalating row over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance (NEET)-Undergraduate Exam 2024, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey appealed to the concerned authorities for a probe into the matter and stated that the paper leak needed to be looked into since it raises a big question about the process.
Speaking to the media here on Sunday, Dubey said, "I appeal with folded hands that there should be a probe into this. All the arrested people are from Bihar's Nalanda. The paper leak happened in Hazaribagh, it raises a big question."
Taking a dig at the state government, Dubey said, "The Jharkhand government indulges in all types of misdeeds, but I don't want to raise any allegations against anyone. There should be a probe."
Soon after being entrusted with the probe into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance-Test (NEET) (UG) Examination 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in the case, sources said on Sunday.
In the early hours of Sunday, the central government entrusted the matter of alleged irregularities in the NEET (UG) Examination 2024 to the CBI for a comprehensive investigation.
"The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET (UG) Examination on May 5, 2024, in OMR (pen and paper) mode. Certain cases of alleged irregularities, cheating, impersonation, and malpractices have been reported. For transparency in the conduct of the examination process, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has, after a review, decided to entrust the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive investigation," the government said.
"The Central Government has also enacted the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to prevent unfair means in public examinations and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto," it said.
"The government is committed to ensuring the sanctity of examinations and protecting the interests of students. It is reiterated that any individual or organisation found to be involved will face strictest action," it added.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA.An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, which added to the concerns.
The Ministry of Education said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on reforms in the mechanism of the examination process, improvements in data security protocols and the functioning of the NTA.
The 7-member committee, led by ISRO former chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, will submit its report to the ministry in the next two months.
"In order to ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations through the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts to make recommendations on reform in the mechanism of examination process improvement in data security protocols and the structure and functioning of National Testing Agency," the ministry said.