 "Who are the men behind the NEET-UG paper leak?")
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) anomalies have become the subject of heated debate.
A total of 13 individuals have been arrested by the Bihar police so far in relation to this inquiry.
Four of them, including aspirant students , are accused of being “main setters.”
The four admitted to being involved in the exam question paper leak, and their testimonies were recorded on 5 May, following the examination, at Patna’s Shastri Nagar police station, where the investigation into the alleged paper leak was filed.
Here’s all we know about the men accused in the case.
The four ‘setters’ arrested
Anurag Yadav, an aspirant student, Sikandar Yadavendu, a junior engineer at the Danapur municipal council, and two accomplices, Nitish Kumar (32) and Amit Anand (29), all of Gopalpur, are among the individuals from Bihar who have been detained.
They admitted to obtaining the exam questions the day before the examination and memorising them in their confession to the Bihar police.
Anurag Yadav told police in his statement that he had been studying for the medical entrance exam at a coaching hub in Kota.
“My uncle Sikandar Yadavendu works as a junior engineer at Danapur municipal council. He told me to come back to Samastipur. He said ‘exam ka setting ho chukka hai (exam is all sorted). I returned to Samastipur and my uncle dropped me at the home of Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar," Yadav said, according to NDTV.
Yadav added that Anand and Kumar handed him some questions and answers and asked him to memorise them.
“The next day, when I went for the exam, I found all the questions I had prepared. After the exam, police suddenly arrested me,” he said in the statement.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsYadavendu was arrested first after police recovered burnt question papers from a house at Rajbanshi Nagar in Patna, as per Indian Express.
He told police that Anand and Kumar asked for Rs 30-32 lakh per student for the NEET question paper.
“I told them I have four students taking the test. Out of greed, I told each student that they need to pay Rs 40 lakh for the question paper,” he reportedly said.
Bihar deputy chief minister Minister Vijay Sinha on Thursday claimed that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s aide Pritam Kumar booked a room for Yadavendu, according to Business Standard.
“When Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in Ranchi, Sikander Kumar Yadavendu used to be at Lalu’s service,” Sinha said during a press conference, adding that the accused was an engineer in the irrigation department.
“On May 1, Tejashwi Yadav’s personal secretary Pritam Kumar called guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar to book a room for Yadavendu… On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again to book the room,” Sinha said, adding that the word “mantri” was used for Tejashwi Yadav.
However, the EOU has not found any involvement of Kumar in the case.
Amit Anand reportedly acknowledged planning the leak and revealed that applicants received the leaked material in exchange for the aforementioned price, according to ABP Live.
His confession further disclosed that the case against him had been strengthened by the discovery at his home of burned remnants of the question paper and answer sheet.
He has also admitted to participating in similar leaks in the past, which has revealed the depth of corruption in the applicant system.
Indian Express claims that Nitish Kumar was also imprisoned earlier this year over a purported paper leak during a Bihar Public Services (BPSC) test.
Other people in the case
According to the report, the other people arrested in the case are:
Rohtas-resident, Bittu Kumar, 38, driver of Sikandar Yadavendu.
Roshan Kumar (35), from Ekangarsarai, Nalanda. He is said to be an associate of “main setter” Amit Anand and his role was to convince candidates to buy the question paper.
Ashutosh Kumar, 30, Jamui resident living in Patna’s Rajiv Nagar. He is also an aide of Anand.
A candidate from Patna’s Danapur, allegedly approached the “main setters.”
A candidate from Ranchi is also one of the accused. He is said to have approached the “main setters” via Yadavendu.
A candidate from Hasanpur in Samastipur. He is said to be known to Yadavendu.
The father of a candidate from Danapur. It is alleged he reached out to the two “main setters” for the question paper.
The father of an accused candidate.
The mother of a candidate close to Yadavendu.
The NEET row
Several irregularities were discovered in this year’s NEET-UG exam, which took place on 5 May, and almost 2.4 million candidates applied for undergraduate medical seats.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, paves the way for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
Results were made public 10 days ahead of time, amidst rumours of leaks and erroneous grace mark distributions that affected more than 1,500 students.
Six of the 67 students who achieved a perfect score of 720/720 are from the same Haryana centre.
Numerous students are uncertain about their chances of obtaining a medical college seat due to the high cut-off this time.
In addition to causing a public outcry, the issue has gained political traction as Opposition parties blame the government for corruption and negligence. BJP-ruled states have come under fire from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who referred to them as the “epicentre of paper leaks.”
However, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan refuted these allegations, claiming that there was no proof of rigging and accusing the Opposition of disseminating false information.
The government informed the Supreme Court that some centres’ grace marking for time loss is the reason for the high grades.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Centre also stated that they have now revoked the grace marks granted to 1,563 applicants.
Some test takers are calling for a retake in the wake of anomalies being reported.
With inputs from agencies
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