Protests broke out outside the Education Department on Monday amid continuing anger over NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, delay in CUET-UG exams, and issues with CBSE’s paper screening portal, as students and opposition parties intensified their criticism of the Centre’s handling of the exams.
Members of the All India Students Association (AISA) held a demonstration to demand accountability for repeated violations in examinations. The police later arrested the demonstrators.
Speaking to ANI, the protesters said: “We were here to protest against the leak that happened. Why is the government not demanding the resignation of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan? We will not allow this government to manipulate our future.”
This year’s NEET-UG exam has been canceled and has been rescheduled for June 21.
On the issue, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal questioned the government’s competence, asking in a post on X whether the country was “desperately in need of an educated Prime Minister”.
In a video statement, he said: “First NEET, then CBSE, then SSC, then UPSC, and now CUET. Every child in this country is now starting to feel that this government cannot do even a single paper correctly. One by one, the papers are being tampered with, and the Prime Minister is silent. He has no interest at all. In fact, this government does not know the importance of education. Do you also agree that now the country is in dire need of an educated Prime Minister?” Kejriwal said.
CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat also expressed concern about the impact on students’ futures and criticized reliance on private companies for the digital aspects of exams.
“This is very unfortunate. When there is a question mark over the results, what will happen to this child’s future? You are giving the entire digital aspect to private companies,” he told ANI.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, met on Monday to discuss the ‘use of pen and paper testing versus cognitive behavioral therapy’ and issues related to NEET and the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who is chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women and Youth Affairs, said that committee members across party lines were unanimous in their approach to improving the examination system.
“The truth is, on this issue, regardless of which party they belong to, all members are unanimous on their stand, whether it is about NEET or CBSE. We are not participating in this discussion along party lines. We are focusing on how we can bring improvements to this entire system,” he told ANI.
He claimed that due to the “incompetence” of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced to take charge personally.
“Due to Dharmendra Pradhan’s incompetence, the Prime Minister himself has been forced to take matters into his own hands. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must either tender his resignation or be sacked. We are confident that since the Prime Minister himself has taken charge of this matter, a successful outcome will be reached in all respects,” Singh added.
Meanwhile, representatives of the United Doctors Front said they have prepared recommendations on NEET and NTA reforms and have been invited to submit them to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports.
“Today, on June 1, we have been called by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, specifically under the relevant committee, to discuss two main topics: our view on the ‘NEET vs NTA’ issue,” National President of United Doctors Front, Dr Babita Sikriwal, told ANI.
“However, we were deeply offended that some opposition MPs, specifically some of their leaders, were vehemently opposed to our participation, and tried to prevent us, as young doctors, from even presenting our views. After all, if a doctor cannot express his concerns and present his case before the nation, who will? The NTA is an independent body, and yet we have entrusted it with the entire process, an entity that bears no legal accountability for its actions,” Sikriwal added.
United Doctors Front president Dr Lakshya Mittal also alleged that despite being formally invited, they were denied entry to the meeting venue.
“Today, June 1, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports has held a meeting; as a Rajya Sabha-run committee, we have been formally invited to attend. However, despite being formally invited, we discovered on our arrival, through information received from some members, that we were not allowed to enter the parliamentary meeting room. Our core demands include the immediate dissolution of the NTA, which is currently registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and the constitution of a new body to be created,” Mittal added. Determination through an Act of Parliament. Secondly, if there is any misuse of the national emblem by the NTA, an investigation should be conducted.”
The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has sparked nationwide concern, with students and political leaders questioning the integrity of the examination process and demanding reforms in the working of the National Testing Agency.
As part of its investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, the CBI has made several arrests.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood and National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh on Friday attended the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Government Assurances held to review the update on the probe into the NEET-UG paper leak. The NEET-UG exam, which was cancelled, will now be conducted on June 21.
Meanwhile, a Ross Avenue court on Monday remanded three accused in the NEET-UG papers leak case, namely Dr Manoj Shiruri, Tejas Harshad Kumar Shah and Manisha Sanjay Hawaldar, to judicial custody till June 15 after being interrogated by the CBI. The defendants were brought before the court after the end of their pretrial detention period. Later, Shirori, Shah and Hawaldar were escorted from the court premises after the remand order was issued.
Amid the ongoing controversy over the on-screen marking (OSM) evaluation process, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said it has closely monitored the vulnerabilities reported in its service provider’s OnMark portal and has deployed cybersecurity experts to strengthen the system.
