CBI Grills AIIMS Patna Students in NEET-UG Paper Leak Scandal

The CBI interrogated four AIIMS Patna students regarding the NEET-UG paper leak. Taken with faculty knowledge, their rooms were sealed. This follows the arrest of two individuals allegedly involved in the leak. Six FIRs have been registered, with one focusing on a comprehensive probe into NEET-UG 2024 irregularities.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned four students from AIIMS Patna on Thursday in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case, according to officials.

Three third-year MBBS students and one second-year student were summoned to the CBI office for questioning regarding the leak. They were escorted from their hostel rooms under the supervision of senior faculty members, who had been informed in advance about the probe.

The CBI has sealed the students' hostel rooms as part of the investigation. AIIMS Patna Director G K Paul identified the students as Chandan Singh, Rahul Anant, and Kumar Shanu from the third year, and Karan Jain from the second year.

A senior officer provided photographs and mobile numbers of the students for identification. They were taken into custody by a CBI inspector and a team in the presence of the dean, hostel warden, and the OSD to the director.

The students remain with the CBI and have not yet been released, Director Paul added.

This development comes just two days after the CBI detained Pankaj Kumar, also known as Aditya, a civil engineer from NIT Jamshedpur who allegedly leaked the NEET-UG paper from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh.

Kumar, a Bokaro resident, was arrested in Patna, while another suspect, Raju Singh, was apprehended in Hazaribagh for allegedly assisting Kumar in the theft.

The CBI has lodged six FIRs in total: one from Bihar related to the paper leak, while the others from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra concern candidate impersonation and cheating.

The CBI's FIR, initiated by a reference from the Union education ministry, calls for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 exam.

The NEET-UG, administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), serves as the qualifying exam for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH, and other related courses in both government and private institutions.

This year, the exam was held on May 5 at 4,750 centers in 571 cities, including 14 international locations. Over 23 lakh candidates participated in the test.

(With inputs from agencies.)