NSUI Workers Storm NTA Office In Delhi, Lock Building From Inside

A mob of 100 workers from the National Students Union of India (NSUI), Congress' student wing, stormed the Delhi office of the National Testing Agency (NTA), protesting over question paper leaks and other irregularities in this year's NEET-UG exams. The NTA office in Okhla is now heavily guarded by police after the incident.

NSUI protesters marched down a tree-lined avenue, broke into the NTA building, and chanted slogans. Visuals showed protesters attaching posters to a locked door, declaring "no more corrupt NTA."

Photo Credit: X/@INCIndia

Inside, protesters gathered in a courtyard with more posters and continued shouting slogans such as "NTA band karo, band karo."

The protest coincided with another demonstration by the Congress' youth wing - the Indian Youth Congress - near Parliament. This occurred while President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint session, affirming the government's commitment to a fair investigation into the NEET exam issues.

Row over NEET exam

The NEET-UG exam results, taken by nearly 24 lakh students on May 5, raised red flags with an unprecedented number of perfect scores. 67 students, including six from one coaching center, scored the maximum 720 marks.

Questions also arose over 'grace marks' awarded to 1,563 students, which the NTA claimed was not standard protocol. Following arrests by police forces in Bihar, Maharashtra, and Delhi, the CBI took over the investigation, suspecting a nationwide corruption racket. They arrested two individuals, Manish Kumar and Ashutosh, linked to the scandal today.

NTA gets Supreme Court's notice:

The Supreme Court issued a notice to the NTA after a petition claimed the NEET-UG exam was rigged. The petitioners sought access to Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets for the students. The NTA is required to respond by July 8.

Political slugfest

The NEET and UGC-NET exam controversies have escalated tensions between the ruling BJP and Congress-led INDIA opposition. Allegations of leaked papers, preferential marking, and criminal involvement have dominated early days of PM Modi's third term.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was heckled by Opposition members during his oath-taking. Rahul Gandhi accused BJP-ruled states of being the "epicenter of paper leaks," referencing a recent paper leak in the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable exam.

The government has now enacted a stringent law to curb malpractices in competitive exams, with penalties including a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore.