“Sir, what should I do?” About two hours after taking the National Eligibility Test for Undergraduate Entrance Test (NEET-UG) on May 3, Satish (name changed) approached a senior teacher at his coaching institute in Sikar, Rajasthan (name changed), with two PDF files of the so-called ‘guess paper’ sent by his landlord which appeared to match about 135 questions to the original exam paper.
Rajat, a senior teacher and one of the key workers at the institute, was meeting students who had just returned from examination centers and was discussing the exam. “Most of them were happy that their exam went well while some were also worried about the result. Soon Satish came to me with the PDF files, so I took them to my office separately as I did not want to discuss such a sensitive issue in front of the students,” Rajat said.
It took about 3 hours for both teachers to analyze the questions thoroughly.
By 9pm, they had identified 45 chemistry questions and 90 biology questions that were identical to the original exam paper.
One PDF file is about 60 pages long and contains questions related to chemistry. The mentioned PDF file includes around 104 (29 + 45 + 30) questions. The chemical appears to be handwritten/scanned in nature.
The second PDF consists of approximately 87 pages containing biology questions. This document has been computer typed/printed.
“We were shocked. Satish immediately called the property owner and told him that he got it from his son around 11 pm on May 2. His son is studying medicine in Kerala. We both were conflicted,” Rajat said.
“Our morals were driving us to expose the matter immediately while there was another awareness reminding us of the potential damage to the image of the training center in Sikar where we have worked for many years,” the senior teacher added.
But they decided to contact journalists first before any officials to keep their identities anonymous.
At around 10pm, Rajat started calling some of his local journalist friends to ask for their help. But they refused to cover the story unless there was an official police investigation.
Not finding any other option at hand, Rajat sent Satish to the local Udyog Nagar police station to file an FIR at around 12:30 am.
“There was a sub-inspector. He listened to the matter but asked Satish to come back with a written complaint the next morning and submit it to the station house officer,” Rajat said.
Rajesh Kumar, Director of Security Operations at Udyog Nagar police station, confirmed the development but said that “they never returned the next morning even though we were waiting for them. It was a very sensitive FIR. How could we have filed an FIR without any solid evidence and a detailed written complaint?”
But Rajat and Satish started getting afraid because they felt that no one believed them. So, during the next two days, they started researching NEET-2024 Paper Leak Case and AIPMT-2015 Paper Leak Case and collecting necessary official contacts who investigated those cases.
He also contacted a Rohtak-based private school – one of whose teachers had leaked the AIPMT-2015 paper via Bluetooth. “I made contact with some of the lawyers involved in the case. Later, I also contacted them but did not receive any response.”
On May 6, Rajat was also able to anonymously meet one of the city coordinators of the National Testing Agency (NTA) in Rajasthan to understand the process of transferring NEET question papers at centers across the country.
“This conversation helped me realize a few things. I was sure that the paper was not leaked from Sikar. In Sikar, the only possible way the paper was leaked was from the centers once the questions reached them on the day of the exam. But it actually leaked and reached Sikar just one night before the exam,” Rajat said.
He also said, “NTA is preparing two sets of questions to keep one set as a backup. I think the rest of the questions in the guess paper must be from the backup paper or someone from NTA insiders has already informed the culprits which one of the two sets will be given on the exam day. I hope the police will find out the complete truth about this case. Such a leak is ruining the future of several thousand students.”
On May 7, Rajat and Satish decided to email NTA directly without delaying the matter. They also contacted the local Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer to help them draft the mail. “I know that many of my fellow teachers, other coaching centers and even students hate us for filing this complaint. But I believe this is the right thing to do to save the meritorious young students,” Rajat said.
The email, which was sent from the identity of Rajat but in the name of Satish, said: “After taking the NEET-UG 2026 exam on 03 May 2026, it was found that many of the questions appearing in the said PDF files were exactly identical to the questions asked in the actual exam, including: Same language, Same sequence, Same options/answer choices. I also have: Copies/images of PDF files, Screenshots/images showing time and receipt of files on mobile device, Comparison material showing similarity between PDF files Leaked and actual exam questions.
He also added: “Given the size and national importance of the NEET examination, and the impact that such acts may have on several thousand honorable students, this matter requires an investigation by an independent central agency…. I am willing to fully cooperate with the investigation and submit all supporting documents… I am willing to submit my mobile phone for forensic investigation and obtain complete evidence, considering the scale and importance of the NEET examination and the impact such acts may have on the lives of students.”
NTA officials confirmed that they received the mail at 9.30pm on May 7. Director General Abhishek Singh told HT: “We received the whistleblower’s email on the night of May 7, and reviewed it the next morning. After examining its contents, I spoke to him and his son and assured them that the allegations would be thoroughly verified and appropriate action would be taken. We thanked him for coming forward. After a preliminary investigation, we forwarded the complaint to the central investigating agencies for verification and extended full cooperation. Since our priority is to work for the benefit of hardworking students, as soon as we found out that some of the allegations were genuine, we canceled the exam in May 12, 2026.
He also added, “As part of our zero-tolerance and zero-fault screening policy, we screen, scrutinize and verify every complaint and input we receive before, during and after the exam. Even before the exam, with the help of central government authorities, we blocked 120 channels on Telegram that were fraudulently selling fake NEET-UG 2026 question papers by falsely claiming that they are genuine.”
