Despite a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan on May 10, the situation in several border areas remains tense and uncertain — fueling concerns among aspirants of the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET).
With disrupted routines, security concerns, and limited mobility, many candidates from affected states are urging the authorities to postpone the exam.
The INI-CET exam, which is scheduled on May 17, is conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for admission into postgraduate (PG) medical courses in the prestigious institutes.After a truce was drawn between India and Pakistan after weeks of tensions, normalcy has yet to return to several border areas.
Power outages, drone alerts, and blocked communication lines have left residents in a state of uncertainty.
Schools and colleges remain shut in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and air travel has been sporadic, with several flights cancelled in recent days.
For students preparing for the high-stakes INI-CET, this has meant not only a loss of preparation time but also serious safety and logistical concerns.
“The ceasefire has already been announced, so cancellation of the exam now seems unlikely. But if you look at the situation in the border states, it’s been far from normal. They’ve been living through blackouts, drone threats, and constant anxiety — none of which students in other parts of the country had to deal with. They’ve effectively lost a week or more of preparation time because of the situation," an INI-CET candidate told EdexLive. "On top of that, with airports shut down, travelling to exam centres in other states becomes another challenge. That’s why many of them are urging the authorities to consider a postponement — it’s only fair,” the candidate shared, on the condition of anonymity.A number of aspirants have taken to social media platforms like X and Reddit, urging for a postponement of the exam.As schools and colleges still remain closed in several parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and flights continue to get postponed or cancelled in these areas, candidates are concerned about how the situation will affect their exams.
Medical influencer Dr Dhruv Chauhan also took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the gravity of the issue.
“I am repeating again—there is INICET exam on this 17th and a huge number of students will gather for the exam, which can be a serious security threat for students, especially in border states! This exam needs to be cancelled,” he wrote in one post on X.
Several medical associations have also highlighted that it is unreasonable for the exam authorities to expect candidates to travel in such a situation.
As of now, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which conducts the INI-CET, has not made any announcement regarding changes to the schedule.
