Patna (ANI): Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Friday said the Centre was taking all necessary steps to investigate irregularities linked to the NEET-UG 2026 examination and ensure that students do not face inconvenience ahead of the re-examination scheduled next month.
His remarks came after reported comments by National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh before the Parliamentary Standing Committee that the NEET-UG 2026 paper was not leaked in full and that only certain questions had surfaced before the examination.
"The central government is fully preparing to investigate the irregularities that occurred in the NEET exam and immediately conduct a re-examination so that students do not face any inconvenience. Rahul Gandhi's statements should stop being taken seriously," Chaudhary said while speaking to reporters in Patna.
Meanwhile, Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi said the NTA had already appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee and that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was actively probing the matter.
"The NTA has been summoned to the parliamentary committee. The discussions of the parliamentary committee are confidential. It only becomes known when they submit their report. But the investigation has been handed over to the CBI. The CBI is conducting the investigation, and several arrests have also been made. Whoever is involved in this crime will not be spared," Saraogi told ANI.
In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Minister, Om Prakash Rajbhar cited findings of the ongoing investigation and claimed that while some questions had surfaced before the exam, the entire paper had not been leaked.
"The investigation has revealed that some questions were leaked. The paper was not leaked," Rajbhar told ANI on reported remarks by NTA DG.
Earlier, NTA officials informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee that the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper was not leaked in full and that only certain questions had surfaced before the examination.
According to sources, NTA DG Abhishek Singh and Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi told the committee on Thursday that several recommendations aimed at making the NEET examination process leakproof had already been implemented, while work on remaining reforms was underway.
Sources said the agency maintained that the alleged leak did not originate from the NTA system and that the CBI was probing the circulation of leaked questions that led to the cancellation of the examination. The NTA also defended the cancellation decision as part of its "zero-tolerance" policy towards irregularities, arguing that even limited compromise of questions could undermine confidence in the examination process.
The Parliamentary panel also questioned officials on measures being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future and discussed the proposed transition of NEET-UG to a computer-based testing system from next year, including issues related to infrastructure, test duration and examination frequency.
Speaking to ANI after the meeting, Parliamentary panel chairman Digvijaya Singh said the discussion had gone "very well" and that members were "very concerned" about the issues raised during deliberations.
According to sources, the committee was informed that around 75 per cent of the recommendations made by the K Radhakrishnan Committee on NTA reforms had already been implemented. Officials also told the panel that steps were being taken to fill vacancies within the organisation.
Political tensions have intensified following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination on May 12 after allegations of a coordinated paper leak. The examination, conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, saw participation from over 22 lakh candidates.
The Union Education Ministry has since directed enhanced security arrangements for the re-examination scheduled to be held on June 21.