While the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) results brought good news for some and bad news for others, none had it as bad as Mridul Rawat. The 18-year-old claims he went through hell and back over the last week right after the results were announced and he received his mark sheet. He claimed to have scored a 329 according to the scorecard issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA), a sharp fall from the 650 he was expecting after tallying his OMR sheet, when it was released by the NTA on October 14.
A shocked and depressed Mridul immediately informed his parents and teachers about the discrepancy. "On October 17, I emailed the NTA highlighting the discrepancy. On October 18, the NTA replied stating that there was either a misprint or a misreading of the OMR sheet. A new scorecard will be issued," claims Mridul. However, the new scorecard issued on October 19 also contained several mistakes. "While 650 was written in figures, it still said 329 in words and there was a further discrepancy in my percentiles," he alleges.
While the NTA updated his scorecard, he also gave him the top rank in his category — Scheduled Tribes (ST). "When I had posted my updated scorecard on Facebook, someone had commented stating that a Mohit Kumar Meena had scored 695 and was the topper in the ST category. But the NTA had mentioned Rank 1 in my scorecard and Rank 2 in his scorecard." Mridul claims that his uncle was able to get him access to Mohit Meena's scorecard, where he could corroborate the same.
Mridul has sent Edex a series of emails underlining his claims. The emails, which are available with us, show his initial email on October 17, where he told the NTA about the discrepancy, right up to the final email from NTA on October 20, which contained his revised scorecard. The authenticity of the scorecard is still being verified. When Edex checked the NTA website, however, Mridul's old marks were displayed.
But his problems didn't end there, especially because he has incessantly been posting about his woes on Twitter. "When I again highlighted this discrepancy on October 20, I began receiving threatening calls from the NTA. I was even asked to speak to the Director. They are claiming that I have photoshopped the scorecard and OMR sheet. But why would I do that? I'm just starting out with my career. I have informed my teachers about every decision I took in this matter. They also said that I had scored 650 and not 329 as mentioned before," alleges a distressed Mridul.
Mridul, who hails from Gangapur in Rajasthan, has been studying in Delhi for the past two years and had been attending online classes with Aakash Institute, Kota. He says he wants to study at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). "I want to become a neurosurgeon and studying at AIIMS will be a dream come true," he states. However, what has happened with his NEET score is anyone's guess.
The NTA is yet to comment on this issue. The copy will be updated when they respond.
