2 Maharashtra teachers detained in NEET paper leak probe
What's the story
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) detained two government-run school teachers from Latur district for questioning over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on Saturday night.
They were released after several hours of questioning but may be called again if needed, according to reports.
The teachers, identified as Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav and Jalil Umarkhan Pathan, also run private coaching centers in Latur in addition to teaching at Zilla Parishad schools.
Additional activities
Arrests in NEET paper leak case
Before this development in Maharashtra, Bihar Police had arrested four persons who confessed to leaking the question papers a night before the NEET UG exam.
The role of "solver gangs" that sell leaked exam papers to students and provide proxy candidates to take tests for candidates is also being probed.
Five individuals were also arrested by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police in Deoghar, Jharkhand, on Friday.
Broad investigation
CBI probes NEET and UGC-NET exam irregularities
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now investigating not only the NEET paper leaks but also irregularities in the UGC-NET exams, which include papers being leaked and sold on the dark net.
Additionally, the central government transferred National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and enforced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to prevent paper leaks and cheating in public exams.
Exam dispute
NEET-UG exam controversy: Students protest, grace marks scrapped
The NEET-UG exam has been embroiled in controversy over allegations that the question paper was leaked before the exam and grace marks awarded to 1,563 students.
These grace marks were later scrapped, and the affected students were offered a re-test on June 23.
Amid these controversies, the Health Ministry postponed the NEET-PG exam, scheduled for Sunday.
According to the ministry, the exam was postponed "taking into consideration, the recent incidents of allegations regarding the integrity of certain competitive examinations."