CBI Arrests 'Kingpin' Aman Singh From Jharkhand's Hazaribagh

On Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Aman Singh from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak case for his alleged role in the controversial matter.

CBI’s Seventh Arrest in NEET-UG 2024 Paper Leak Case

The CBI has developed intelligence about a Jharkhand-based module and consequently arrested the key conspirator involved in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak from Dhanbad. Reportedly, this is the seventh arrest by the federal agency.

Earlier, the agency arrested the principal and vice principal of Hazaribagh-based Oasis school, identified as Ahsanul Haque and Imtiaz Alam, and another person identified as Jamaluddin, who worked as a journalist with a Hindi newspaper.

Before that, CBI arrested Ashutosh Kumar and Manish Kumar from Patna, and Dixit Patel, chairman of Jay Jalaram School in Gujarat’s Godhra, who was allegedly soliciting between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh from candidates, promising to enhance their examination scores.

The CBI is yet to arrest Sanjeev Mukhiya, who allegedly runs a network in Bihar’s Patna and Nalanda, and in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and some other states. His gang was allegedly behind paper leaks in various exams, including the Bihar teachers’ recruitment exam, Haryana veterinary doctor recruitment exam, Haryana English teachers’ recruitment exam, CTET and RO ARO exam.

NEET-UG 2024 ‘Paper Leak Scam’: A Concern Of Nation

NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate), conducted by NTA, is an entrance examination in India for students who aspire to study undergraduate medical courses such as MBBS, BDS, AYUSH in government or private medical colleges.

This year, the entrance exam was held on May 5 at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 abroad, for more than 24 lakh candidates all across the nation.

A major ‘paper leak’ controversy emerged after the results were declared on June 4, when 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720. The arbitrary awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 candidates led to protests by students and opposition parties, resulting in legal actions in several High Courts and the Supreme Court.

Conclusion: The consequences of such incidents result in added stress for students, educators, and parents and compromise the integrity of significant examinations. These recurring incidents of paper leaks highlight the dire need for stricter security measures, monitoring, and reforms to maintain the integrity and fairness of the examination which will result in a credible examination process and restore student’s trust.