ABVP, SFI, NSUI on same page over NEET-UG ‘scam’

Shimla, June 12

The state committees of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) here today staged protests outside the premises of Deputy Commissioner’s Office while the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla, against the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), demanding an investigation into the matter.

During the protest, SFI state committee secretary Upendra said the NTA, in a statement, admitted to the irregularities in this year’s results, claiming that there was also a provision for grace marking.

However, no mention of this grace marking scheme was made in the guidelines published by the NTA before the exam. The Central Government had failed so far to take any action against the alleged scam, despite the continuous increase in unemployment across the country and the rising cases of paper leaks, which had been betraying lakhs of youngsters, he added.

“Moreover, complaints have surfaced regarding the allocation of equal marks to consecutive roll numbers from the same centre in NEET exams, resulting in candidates being forced to seek admission in private colleges, which is directly attributable to the policies of the NTA, such as the significant reductions in the syllabus,” he said.

The SFI urged students from across the country to unite against the centralisation of education through the NTA.

ABVP leader Akash Negi, during the protest of the student body, demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged scam and said the incompetence and corruption of the NTA had come to light through the NEET-UG (2024) examination and its results.

Negi also questioned the announcement of NEET-UG results on the day of the Lok Sabha election results and said that this raised suspicions over the NTA potentially attempting to hide some information.

The ABVP warned of launching a mass movement against the government if it failed to take action in pertinence to the matter.

NSUI, during its protest, demanded that the NEET exam be conducted again. A delegation of the NSUI submitted a memorandum of its demands to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HPU.

NSUI president (Department of Laws, HPU) Navishek said many students had been affected due to the issue, while the government had remained silent. Since the NTA was facing allegations about discrepancies in the NEET-UG exam, the matter should be probed thoroughly, he added.