A special team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned Dr. Ehsanul Haque, the principal of Oasis School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, amid an investigation into alleged irregularities in the NEET UG-2024 exam. Dr. Haque, who served as the district coordinator for the exam, denied any tampering with the question papers and called the allegations “baseless.” Several other school staff members were also interrogated at the CCL guest house in Charhi.
The CBI’s eight-member team visited the main branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Hazaribagh, where the bank manager, reportedly the custodian of the NEET-UG 2024 exam papers, received the documents via a courier service.
In related developments, a special CBI court in Patna remanded two accused, Chintu Kumar and Mukesh Kumar, for three days. Chintu Kumar, linked to the notorious Sanjeev Kumar alias Lutan Mukhiya gang, allegedly received a solved answer sheet of the NEET-UG in PDF format on his mobile phone a day before the exam. Preliminary investigations revealed that Kumar and his associates distributed the solved answer sheets to students in a safe house in Ram Krishna Nagar, Patna, on May 4 for memorization.
The leaked NEET-UG question paper was reportedly sourced from a private school in Hazaribagh by the Mukhiya gang. The CBI is actively pursuing other members of the gang involved in multiple interstate paper leaks. The investigation also includes a Delhi team visiting a guest house in Patna and the residence of Sikandar Yadavendu, a prime suspect.
The role of private colleges and institutes, suspected of sending solvers on behalf of actual candidates, is under scrutiny. Other schools, including St Xavier’s, DAV Public, Holy Cross, and Vivekananda Central, are also being investigated.
Previously, an individual from a Kolkata-based educational institute was arrested for allegedly accepting money from a student’s parent and promising a spot on the NEET merit list and admission to a medical college in Kolkata. The Economic Offence Wing (EOU) of the Bihar Police had earlier arrested 18 people in connection with the NEET paper leak.
Political reactions include Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray urging party members to address NEET irregularities during the Maharashtra legislature’s monsoon session. The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution condemning the irregularities in the NEET and NET entrance exams conducted by the NTA.