New Delhi

Members of the Students' Federation of India staged a large protest in Delhi on Tuesday demanding the dissolution of the National Testing Agency after the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination over alleged paper leaks and examination irregularities.

Among the protestors was former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh, who accused the NTA of repeatedly failing to prevent examination malpractices since its formation.

“We are protesting against paper leaks and irregularities in NEET. Such incidents have been occurring every year since the NTA was established, but the government has failed to address the issue. We demand that a system like the NTA be dismantled,” she told reporters during the demonstration.

The protest escalated as demonstrators clashed with police personnel deployed in the national capital to maintain law and order. Protesters raised slogans against examination paper leaks, including chants of “Paper leak nahi chalega”.

A similar agitation was organised by the SFI in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, where members marched towards the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The protest turned tense after demonstrators breached police barricades and entered the office compound.

Police personnel struggled to control the crowd despite heavy deployment, and water cannons were reportedly used to disperse protesters attempting to enter the premises.

Meanwhile, members of the National Students' Union of India also held protests in Bhopal over the controversy surrounding the examination.

The issue erupted after the Centre cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination, which had been conducted on May 3, following allegations of paper leaks and procedural irregularities. The government subsequently handed over the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a detailed investigation.

The NTA stated that the decision to cancel the examination was taken after consultations with central agencies and based on findings shared by law enforcement authorities that raised concerns regarding the integrity of the exam process.

The agency clarified that registration details, candidate information, and allotted examination centres from the May 2026 cycle would remain valid for the re-examination. It also confirmed that candidates would not need to register again or pay any additional fee.

The controversy has also triggered political reactions, with Sachin Pilot demanding accountability and calling for the resignation of the Union Education Minister.

“The department responsible must take responsibility. If such incidents are happening repeatedly, the government must act regardless of the individual’s status or political affiliation. A time-bound judicial inquiry should be conducted,” Pilot said.

However, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not commented publicly on the controversy so far and recently left a media interaction without responding to questions on the issue.

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In a related development, police in Nashik detained a man in connection with the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, acting on a request from Rajasthan Police, officials said.