NEET Leaks: Telegram Ban Can't Replace Reforms, Says UDF; Calls for Probe Into 2024 and 2026 Scandals and scrapping of NTA..
NEW DELHI/SHIMLA/CHANDIGARH: The United Doctors Front (UDF) has termed the reported temporary ban on Telegram ahead of NEET examinations a cosmetic measure that fails to address the deeper crisis facing India's medical entrance system.
UDF Chairperson Dr. Lakshya Mittal said banning platforms cannot replace systemic reforms and demanded a comprehensive, independent and time-bound investigation into the alleged NEET paper leak incidents of 2024 and 2026.
The issue is far bigger than a messaging platform. This concerns the future of India's healthcare institutions and the aspirations of lakhs of students who appear for NEET every year in the hope that merit will secure their place in medical colleges, not mafias operating through back channels and gaining access to leaked examination papers.
The demand comes amid continuing questions over examination security and the effectiveness of measures taken after the 2024 NEET controversy.
While several alleged masterminds were arrested during the investigation, the CBI is yet to file its final chargesheet, leaving many questions unanswered and concerns unresolved.
Medical professionals and doctors' organisations have repeatedly stressed that the credibility of the country's largest medical entrance examination cannot be allowed to erode.
They maintain that recurring allegations of paper leaks undermine faith in a system that determines the future of thousands of aspiring doctors every year.
Concerns have also been raised over the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET and other major examinations. Medical professionals have argued that repeated controversies have exposed weaknesses in the examination framework and highlighted the need for stronger institutional safeguards, greater transparency and independent oversight.
The issue has also figured in discussions before Parliamentary committees examining examination reforms.
Various organisations representing doctors, students and education experts have sought structural changes to ensure accountability and fairness in high-stakes national examinations.
After the repeated leakages, students have been staging protest countrywide demanding the scrapping of NTA as latter lost its credibility. This is bringing bad name for the Central Government and health minister J P Nadda.
The controversy has once again drawn attention to India's massive coaching industry, which has flourished around examinations such as NEET and JEE in cities including Kota, Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla and several other educational hubs.
Education experts say any compromise in examination integrity strikes at the very foundation of merit-based selection.
Parents of students have expressed frustration over recurring examination scandals, saying repeated controversies create uncertainty and anxiety for candidates who invest enormous time, effort and financial resources in preparing for medical entrance examinations.
They have demanded that authorities identify those responsible and ensure that deserving students are not deprived of opportunities because of organised criminal networks involved in paper leaks.
Students and parents alike maintain that temporary restrictions and damage-control measures will not be enough.
They insist that only transparent investigations, swift prosecution of those responsible and robust institutional reforms can restore confidence in an examination that serves as the gateway to India's medical profession.
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