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The strings of NEET paper leak are constantly being linked to new states and it is feared that this gang of paper leak was spread across the country. Now Maharashtra connection has come to the fore in this case. Maharashtra’s Nanded ATS has detained two teachers from Latur. Of the two arrested teachers, one is a teacher in Latur and the other in Solapur Zilla Parishad School. Both the detained accused also run a private coaching center in Latur. Nanded ATS detained both the teachers on Saturday night. At present, intensive interrogation of both the teachers is going on.
Before Maharashtra, the strings of NEET paper leak have been linked to Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. Bihar Police was the first to make arrests in the paper leak case. After this it came to light that the paper was leaked by a skill from Jharkhand. The name of Ravi Atri gang came to the fore from Uttar Pradesh. This exam was already in the news due to the examination centers in Haryana and Rajasthan. Most of the students from the same center in Haryana had topped. At the same time, there was a lot of uproar on the day of the paper in Rajasthan. After this, the examination started late in one center.
The government took three big decisions on Saturday
The government has taken three big decisions on Saturday in the case of rigging in NEET exam. In its first decision, the government removed Subodh Kumar Singh from the post of Director General of National Testing Agency (NTA). Pradeep Singh Kharola has been given the command of National Testing Agency (NTA) in his place. In its second decision, the government has postponed the NEET exam to be held on Sunday. In the third big decision, the government has handed over the investigation of the rigging case in NEET-UG to the CBI.
NEET paper leak case, how was the game of spoiling the future of students done, who is the mastermind Ravi Atri?
Ravi Atri, the alleged mastermind of the NEET-UG 2024 exam paper leak, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday amid nationwide protests by students demanding an inquiry into the exam. Ravi Atri of Neemka village in Greater Noida has been the mastermind of many paper leak cases in the past as well. Now the strings of the paper leak case in the NEET exam are also linked to Ravi Atri. Ravi Atri’s name, earlier identified as the mastermind behind the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam paper leak, has now surfaced in connection with the investigation into alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
Ravi Atri was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) from Meerut in April this year, he had conspired with Rajiv Nayan Mishra to leak the UP Police Constable exam paper. He had gathered students at a resort in Manesar for money to facilitate his paper leak operation.
The NEET paper leak controversy began when 67 students scored a perfect score of 720 in the NEET-UG exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) attributed this to faulty questions and grace marks being awarded due to logical delays in paper distribution at some centres. However, an investigation by Bihar Police revealed that the exam paper was leaked to select candidates in advance.
NEET exam under suspicion
Around 24 lakh medical students appeared for the NEET-UG exam on May 5, and the results were declared promptly on June 4. Despite the NTA’s efforts to manage the results, there were widespread allegations of paper leak and student protests, which led to legal action across the country. The Supreme Court also intervened, reprimanding the NTA for its mishandling of the matter.
This is how the paper leak was revealed
The strings of the NEET paper leak scam are now linked to mastermind Ravi Atri, who is known for his alleged involvement in paper leaks of previous examinations in various states. His modus operandi allegedly included uploading solved question papers on social media platforms through a network called ‘Solver Gang’. Atri also had a major role in leaking the medical entrance exam paper in 2012. He was arrested by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police after the matter came to light.
The Bihar Police, which had initially arrested several people associated with the leak, including a student and associates, when this investigation team of the police went beyond the state boundaries and investigated, during interrogation Ravi Atri’s links with the paper leak came to light, after which the UP STF arrested him.
Who is Ravi Atri, how did he become the mastermind of the paper leak
In the year 2007, Ravi Atri’s family sent him to Kota to prepare for the medical entrance exam. He cleared the medical exam in 2012 and took admission in PGI Rohtak, but did not appear for the fourth year exam. Officials said that by then he had come in contact with the ‘exam mafia’ and used to sit as a proxy for other candidates. He also started playing an important role in circulating the leaked papers among the students.
Gradually Ravi Atri became the mastermind of the paper leak. He has been jailed for leaking the pre-medical test exam paper in 2012 and the AIIMS PG exam paper in 2015. Recently, the UPSTF had filed a chargesheet against Atri and 18 other accused in the constable recruitment scam, in which he was the mastermind.
Ravi Atri and Sanjeev Mukhiya’s connection
Atri’s connection with the NEET paper leak scam came to light after the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police found evidence related to the paper leak mafia led by Sanjeev Mukhiya. The EOU, under the orders of the Union Ministry of Education, is set to submit a detailed report on the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, including the burnt question paper, OMR sheets and other incriminating material.
Atri and Sanjeev Mukhiya, though working separately, are both involved in the business of leaking exam papers. It is worth noting that Mukhiya’s son Dr Shiv Kumar had studied with Atri. In the NEET case, around 25 candidates were allegedly accommodated by Mukhiya in a boys’ hostel in Patna, where they were given the leaked exam material a day before the exam.
Though Atri’s direct involvement in the NEET paper leak has not been confirmed yet, suspicion has arisen about his links with the Sanjeev Mukhiya gang. Atri is still behind bars due to previous arrests, but his name has surfaced in the ongoing investigation due to these affiliations.
Ruckus over postponement of NEET-PG exam – Maharashtra leader demands resignation from Dharmendra Pradhan
The pressure on the government is increasing after the postponement of NEET-PG exam. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey has demanded resignation from Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. With the resignation of Union Health and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, he said that the government will have to change the entire system and remove incompetent officials. He said “The NEET PG exam to be held on Sunday has been postponed. Changing only NTA officials will not do anything. The government will have to change the entire system. First of all, Dharmendra Pradhan should resign with immediate effect and this responsibility should be given to a new minister. Otherwise crores of students will suffer. The anger of those who are taking to the streets at this time will increase further.”
Dubey said “As the opposition, we can only demand from you that you bring new people with immediate effect, bring capable people and remove those who are inactive and indifferent from their posts.” The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday postponed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Postgraduate (NEET PG) exam, which was scheduled to be held on Sunday and said that the new date will be announced soon. The NEET-PG exams were scheduled to be held on June 23.
Education Ministry statement
“In view of the recent incidents of allegations about the integrity of some competitive examinations, the Ministry of Health has decided to conduct a thorough evaluation of the robustness of the processes of the NEET-PG entrance examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations for medical students. As a precautionary measure, it has been decided to postpone the NEET-PG entrance examination scheduled to be held on 23rd June 2024. The new date for this examination will be notified at the earliest. The Ministry of Health sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to the students. This decision has been taken in the best interest of the students and to maintain the sanctity of the examination process,” the ministry statement said.
Inquiry committee to submit report in two months
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET-UG exam, has been facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding the dissolution of the NTA. An unprecedented 67 candidates scored 720 out of 720 marks, further raising concerns. The Ministry of Education said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on improving the mechanism of the examination process, improving data security protocols and the functioning of the NTA. The 7-member committee, headed by former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, will submit its report to the ministry in the next two months.
