NEW DELHI : Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Saturday targeted the BJP for destroying the future of students and urged the Ministry of Education to conduct an exhaustive inquiry into the NEET-UG Exam 2024 irregularities conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Taking to his official X handle, KC Venugopal targeted the BJP and said, “The BJP government has totally botched the NEET examinations and destroyed the future of our medical aspirants.
Stepping up his attacks on the government, he added further, “First, it persisted with the exam despite huge opposition from many states, especially Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Now, it is clearly unable to administer it effectively and we are now seeing the paper leak at the national level. This, coupled with multiple irregularities raises alarm about how the exam is being conducted.”
He further informed that to address the concerns of students and their parents, he wrote a letter to K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and demanded an impartial inquiry into this issue and seeked Murthy’s attention regarding the complaints and concerns on the conduct and result of NEET-UG 2024.
In the letter addressed to K Sanjay Murthy, Venugopal said, “As you are aware, the NTA released the results of NEET-UG 2024 on June 4, 2024. The results have been marred by allegations of irregularities and paper leaks following the inflated marks of some medical aspirants.”
The letter further talked about 67 students securing top rank in the medical entrance exam. “As per the NEET-UG 2024 results, around 67 medical aspirants bagged the top rank in the entrance exam by scoring a percentile of 99.997129, out of which six candidates of them from the same exam centre in Haryana. The average marks out of 720 qualified candidates is 323.55 for the 2024 exam. It has also been a concern where the NTA has awarded grace marks to a few candidates, however not disclosing the methodology they have used to award those grace marks,” the letter by Venugopal stated.
KC Venugopal also raised the issue of paper leak in his letter and said, “… Initially, there were allegations of paper leak which has been now followed with massive irregularities in the result declaration.”
Describing the irregularities, Venugopal said they range from technical glitches in the online examination platform to allegations of malpractice and unfair means adopted by certain test centres. “Such instances not only undermine the credibility of the examination process but also jeopardise the future aspirations of countless students who have dedicated significant time and effort in preparing for this crucial examination,” the letter said.
Venugopal also said that it is regrettable to say that the NEET exam has lost its credibility due to allegations of question paper leaks. “Given this critical situation, I urge the Ministry of Education and the NTA to conduct a thorough and impartial inquiry into the reported irregularities of the NEET-UG 2024 exam,” Venugopal in his letter said.
Emphasising on the need to scrutinize all aspects of the examination process, including the setting of question papers, conduct of examinations, and monitoring of test centres, to identify and address any lapses, Venugopal said, “I also urge the implementation of immediate measures to restore the exam’s integrity and reassure the faith of students and the general public.”
Meanwhile, the NTA on Saturday set up a committee to review the grace marks awarded to NEET UG 2024 candidates amid allegations of mark inflation.
The Ministry of Education established a committee to review the grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates. Several candidates alleged that the inflation of marks has resulted in 67 candidates securing the top rank, including six from the same exam centre in Haryana.
Amid allegations raised by the Opposition leaders on the conduct of the 2024 NEET examination, the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Subodh Kumar Singh said, “They (the committee) will meet soon and they will be able to submit their recommendation within a week.”
Earlier, Indian Medical Association (IMA) Junior Doctors Network has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024.
A total of 20.38 lakh students registered for the exam, out of which 11.45 lakh candidates qualified. The result was announced on Tuesday and 67 students have achieved an All India Rank (AIR) 1. (ANI)