NEET-UG paper leak case: What’s the role of 2 accused arrested by CBI in Bihar?

The alleged National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak continues to grab the limelight. On Thursday (June 27), members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) were detained during their protest near Parliament in Delhi against the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination.

While the Congress has upped the ante against the Centre over the 2024 NEET-UG ‘paper leak’, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made its first two arrests in the case.

Who has been arrested and what do we know about their role? What is going on? Let’s take a closer look.

CBI arrests two people from Bihar

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The CBI has arrested two people from Patna who allegedly arranged accommodation for the NEET-UG aspirants on 4 May, a day before the exam.

The central probe agency arrested Manish Prakash from Patna for allegedly arranging accommodation on Ashutosh Kumar’s request, as per The New Indian Express (TNIE) report.

CBI sources told NDTV that Manish provided his car for transporting students and is suspected of having arranged a vacant school where at least two dozen NEET examinees received and memorised the leaked papers.

Ashutosh allegedly provided lodging for the examinees at his residence.

The duo were summoned by the CBI for questioning on Thursday and were arrested later.
Prakash’s wife Archana told Indian Express, “The CBI called me around 1.30 pm to say that my husband has been arrested. He is a social worker who would often help people with making stay arrangements for students. I had heard someone asking him on the phone to make arrangements for four-five students. We had no idea about the enormity of trouble he has now landed in.”

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The CBI, which took over the NEET-UG paper leak case on Sunday, has registered six First Information Reports (FIRs) so far, as per NDTV.

ALSO READ: NEET, NET rows: How Bihar has gained notoriety for exam cheating

Thirteen people, including four examinees, were arrested earlier in the case. Later, five more accused were nabbed. These arrests span Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

In Bihar, the central agency took over the probe from the state police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU).

According to the Bihar Police, some accused arrested in the case have revealed that about 25 aspirants were given the NEET questions and answer sheets on the eve of the medical entrance examination, held on May 5, for a price of Rs 40 lakh per candidate.

Sanjeev Mukhiya , a resident of Nagarnausa village in Bihar’s Nalanda district, is believed to be the “mastermind” of the case. Reports say he leaked the 2024 NEET-UG paper.

The CBI has been trying to track him and suspects that Mukhiya has fled to Nepal, reported Indian Express.

Godhra NEET-UG case

A CBI team started recording statements of aspirants who appeared for the NEET-UG exam at a Godhra school and had paid in advance to the accused for the leaked paper.

As per an FIR filed by the local police, attempts were made to help 27 candidates clear the exam for payments of Rs 10 lakh each, reported Times of India (TOI).

The Gujarat Police have apprehended five individuals in the case, including the school principal Purshottam Sharma.

Officials told Indian Express that students from other states were in touch with the arrested accused Parshuram Roy of Vadodara-based Roy Overseas and education consultant Vibhor Anand. Gujarat students were in contact with another accused Arif Vora, who had given over Rs seven lakh to prime accused Tushar Bhatt on the exam day.

The CBI is expected to seek custody of these five accused.

NEET row snowballs

The members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’s student wing, barged into the National Testing Agency (NTA) office on Thursday seeking an overhaul of the agency.

The Indian Youth Congress and Left student organisations, including the AISA, KYS, BsCEM, and DISHA, staged a protest at Jantar Mantar earlier in the day over the alleged NEET paper leak. Protesters demanded the dissolution of the NTA and called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

A massive political row has erupted over the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam.

President Droupadi Murmu even mentioned the alleged exam leak in her first address to a joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday, saying the government is “committed to a fair investigation”. She also assured that the culprits would get strict punishment.

“The recent irregularities and paper leaks are being dealt with strongly and the government’s focus is on improving the exam process,” Murmu said.

The Opposition INDIA bloc has decided to keep up the press on the Centre and will raise the issue in Parliament on Friday. As per Deccan Herald, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will flag it in the lower house, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will do it in Rajya Sabha. The opposition INDIA bloc MPs also plan to submit notices in both the Houses.

With inputs from agencies