New Delhi [India], May 6 : The National Testing Agency (NTA) dismissed the reports of a 'leak' of the NEET-UG exam question paper and said that the social media posts pointing towards any paper leak are completely baseless and without any ground.
The agency also requested the parents, teachers and all concerned not to pay heed to such rumours and concentrate on forthcoming examinations.
The NEET examination was conducted by the NTA across 4750 centres in 571 cities (including 14 cities abroad) on May 5.
"It has been ascertained from NTA's security protocols and Standard Operating Procedures that the Social Media Posts pointing towards any paper leak are completely baseless and without any ground. To put rumours to rest, it is also stated that every single Question Paper (QP) has been accounted for. Further, it is also to be noted that after the gates of the Examination Centres are closed, no one from outside is permitted access inside the Halls which are under CCTV surveillance," the NTA said in a release.
It further said that at a Centre in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan some students forcibly took away the question papers before the conclusion of the examination which was later linked to the alleged incident of paper leak.
"As mentioned in yesterday's NTA Press Release there was one incident at a Centre in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan where some students forcibly took away the QPs before the conclusion of the examination. A picture of this QP is being linked to the alleged incident of the paper leak which is mischievous and preposterous. As mentioned in para 2, there is no way any external person/agency can access the centres, once the examination starts," the release noted.
"All other photographs of QPs circulating on social media have no relation to the Actual Examination Question Paper which has been administered. Having mentioned the above, there have been cases of malpractice/impersonation where strict action has been taken against impersonators/candidates," it added.
The agency informed that over 24 lakh students registered for the examinations this year with over 10 lakh male and 13 lakh female students.
"The NEET UG 2024 saw record-high registrations this year, with over 24 lakh students registering, the highest ever, with over 10 lakh male students, and over 13 lakh female students. This increase was facilitated by opting for several smaller cities as centres, especially in the Northeast, apart from Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, and other states," it said.
"In light of the above, candidates, their parents, teachers and all concerned are requested not to pay heed to such rumours and concentrate on forthcoming examinations," the agency added.