National Testing Agency under scrutiny following allegations of UGC-NET material leak

Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi leveled accusations on Tuesday regarding new irregularities associated with the UGC-NET exam held last week. He stated that a document containing exam questions was circulated prior to the test and matched numerous questions in the sociology section.

Allegations of material leakage

Gandhi also accused the Central Government of inaction despite repeated reports of exam material leaks. In a post on social media platform X, Rahul reported that a 100-page PDF version circulated before the UGC-NET exam. He asserted that this document pertained to materials used in question formulation, which are exclusively available to the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Furthermore, he claimed that approximately 90 questions from this PDF version corresponded to those in the actual sociology exam. Gandhi added that this same examination material was being sold for an amount of 2.25 lakh in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Additionally, he alleged that the same network claimed readiness to provide admit cards for upcoming tests, including CSIR-NET, HTET, and ADA.

Demands for official action

Listing all the emerging allegations, Rahul wrote that the serious claims regarding last week's UGC-NET exam are extremely shocking. He noted that just a few weeks after the NEET exam leak, reports began surfacing that a 100-page PDF was distributed right before the UGC-NET exam, and that this PDF concerned question-setting materials accessible only to the NTA.

He emphasized that nearly 90 questions in the PDF matched those in the real sociology exam, and the exam ticket itself was being sold for 2.25 lakh in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. He also mentioned that the same network claimed the ability to provide tickets for future exams such as CSIR-NET, HTET, and ADA.

Expressing doubt about the government's response to the alleged leaks, Rahul stated that students are being deprived of accountability and fairness. He criticized the government, asserting that 'even after repeated scandals in NEET and NET, the Modi government continues to turn a blind eye and sleep soundly, because the years of hard work invested by hundreds of thousands of students hold no value for them.'

In Gandhi's view, the entire country knows that hoping for any accountability or action from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education is futile, as no investigation will take place, and students will not receive justice. He concluded that the only means of change is the collective voice of students across the nation, which will lead to an educational revolution in India.

A serious incident involving the theft of examination materials occurred at Rajiv Gandhi Technological University (RGPV), one of Madhya Pradesh's largest technical universities, shortly before the start of the session. The police have registered a case to investigate this incident.

Circumstances of the Theft

An exam for the subject 'Computer' was scheduled for second-year (fourth semester) students of the School of Biotechnology on Friday. However, a few hours before the exam, at 11 am, students were informed that the test was canceled. It was later revealed that the examination materials had been stolen, causing panic at the university.

Due to the disappearance of the materials, the university has suspended examinations until further notice. According to available information, about nine sets of various examination papers are missing.

Filing a Police Report

The university administration deemed this incident extremely serious and filed a complaint at the Gandhinagar police station in Bhopal city. According to the complaint, the relevant examination materials were stolen late on Thursday evening. The police have registered the case and begun an investigation to determine how the theft occurred and who might be involved.

Questions Regarding Security System

The incident of stolen examination materials before the tests raised serious questions regarding the confidential examination system and security measures at the university. In this regard, the opposition Congress party criticized the state government.

Opposition leader Umang Singh posted a message on social media platform X, stating: 'Under the rule of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), theft has become a system. First, vote theft, then seat theft, land theft in Ujjain, donation theft from temples, and now examination material theft! Nine sealed envelopes containing confidential examination materials were stolen at RGPV in Bhopal before the exam.' He continued that under the rule of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, mafia and thieves are so unpunished that even the future of students is not safe. Singh emphasized that this is not just a theft of materials, but a theft of labor, trust, and the youth's future.