A chemistry teacher who was among the first to report the leak of NEET-UG papers recalls how he stumbled upon a viral PDF that allegedly matched a large number of questions from the exam. Shashikant Suthar, a teacher at a coaching center in Rajasthan, said he was “shocked” after checking the document with the NEET question paper.
the The NEET-UG 2026 exam was canceled earlier this month following allegations of question paper leak. It has been postponed to June 21.
“When I saw the May 3 paper, after the exam was over, I analyzed the NEET paper and prepared the answer key for it,” Shashikant Suthar told PTI. “Then, shortly after, the homeowner met me and showed me a viral PDF.”
I was “shocked” after matching the questions
The PDF contains about 104 chemistry questions and was distributed with claims that it can predict the NEET exam, Suthar said.
“In the viral PDF, there were around 104 questions related to Chemistry. The purpose of showing them was to ask if any of these questions had appeared in today’s NEET paper,” he said.
“Then I matched them with the NEET paper, and I was surprised to find that about 45 of these questions were exactly the same as those asked in NEET.”
He added that this discovery immediately raised concerns within his department.
“We are shocked,” he told PTI.
Read also: How a teacher in Rajasthan discovered NEET papers leak
The teacher says the biology PDF also showed a perfect match
Suthar said he then engaged another teacher to verify a second document.
“Then, I contacted a fellow teacher and checked out the biology PDF as well,” he said. “When we checked the biology PDF, all 90 out of 90 questions matched the biology paper as well.”
Alert to management, email to NTA
After verification, Suthar said the group escalated the matter to the authorities.
“We informed the administration about it. The administration then guided us on how to proceed with the matter and we sent an email to the NTA on the matter.” “The next morning, I received a phone call from Abhishek Singh from NTA. He collected all the information, I gave him all the evidence, and then things moved very quickly.”
Investigating agencies quickly intervened, Suthar added.
“We also started receiving calls from the CBI and by evening, the investigation team from Delhi had already reached us.”
“The investigation team came and we physically explained the whole matter to them and presented all the evidence.”
He added that the Special Operations Group (SOG) had also joined the investigation.
“I would like to express gratitude to the government and the National Tourism Authority for resolving this issue so quickly, keeping in mind the mental health of the students,” he said.
Read also: Who have all been arrested so far and where is the NEET case | What do you know?
He defends Sikar Training Center and rejects the accusations
The guru responded strongly to the criticism leveled at Sikar, the coaching center in Rajasthan.
“All over the country, students are coming to study, but nowadays questions are being raised about Sekar. I completely reject these allegations, as they are baseless allegations made against Sekar,” he said.
“No Sikar students were involved in the leak, nor was any Sikar institute involved.”
He said the city’s academic ecosystem is built on hard work.
“People from Sikar are known for hard work. Students here work hard, teachers work hard, everyone works hard, and that is how results are obtained, not through any cheating or paper leaking.”
Suthar also noted that there have been no arrests linked to the city.
“As you have seen, no Sekar has been arrested. Only Sekar’s name has been unnecessarily dragged into this matter.”
NEET Leak Status: Updates
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested 10 people so far in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. Those arrested include individuals allegedly linked to the paper preparation process, coaching institutes and an organized network suspected of distributing the question paper ahead of the May 3 exam.
According to investigators, retired chemistry lecturer PV Kulkarni and senior botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, both associated with the National Testing Agency (NTA) panel, are among the people identified as key figures in the alleged leak network.
The investigation also includes training local operators, intermediaries and facilitators suspected of procuring and distributing the leaked materials. Officials said that parts of the question paper were accessed and shared before the exam.
Among the other detainees Manisha Waghmar, a beauty salon owner in Pune who is accused of facilitating links between candidates and training operators, Dhananjay Lokhande from Ahilyanagar, and Shubham Khairnar, a BAMS student in Nashik. Recently, a training institute worker Shivraj Raghunath Motigaonkar was also arrested from Latur.
(with PTI inputs)
