13/05/2026
The Paper leak scandal is far graver than an administrative lapse.
It is a systemic betrayal of lakhs of medical aspirants across the country.
There should be immediate accountability, structural reform of the National Testing Agency (NTA), and a substantial expansion of examination centres within Arunachal Pradesh, for the convenience of our students.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ค, ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ.
Itanagar, May 13: The All Arunachal Pradesh Studentsโ Union (AAPSU) on Wednesday strongly condemned the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, terming it a โsystemic betrayalโ of lakhs of medical aspirants and demanding urgent accountability, structural reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA), and expansion of examination centres across Arunachal Pradesh.
In a press release, AAPSU president Meje Taku said the controversy surrounding the national medical entrance examination was far more serious than an administrative lapse, as it directly undermined meritocracy and public trust in national institutions.
โThe NEET-UG examination is the sole entrance gateway for medical and dental undergraduate courses in India. Any compromise in such an examination strikes at the very foundation of fairness and credibility,โ Taku stated.
The reaction came after the NTA cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 following allegations of a major paper leak. Reports claimed that a document containing nearly 410 questions had circulated on WhatsApp groups weeks before the examination, with around 120 Chemistry questions allegedly matching the final paper exactly. More than 22.79 lakh candidates across the country were affected by the cancellation.
AAPSU stated that the recurrence of the controversy, following a similar scandal in NEET-UG 2024, pointed towards โdeep structural rotโ within the examination administration system rather than isolated wrongdoing.
The union welcomed the registration of an FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act. However, it demanded that the investigation be completed within a fixed public timeline and that stringent punishment be awarded to all individuals, syndicates, coaching centres and institutional insiders found involved.
AAPSU also urged the Union Education Minister to make a statement in Parliament explaining the lapses and outlining a concrete reform roadmap for the NTA. The union demanded independent operational audits, stronger digital and physical security measures for question paper handling, and mandatory third-party verification of examination conduct.
On the issue of re-examination, the union maintained that conducting the test again without first implementing structural reforms would amount to repeating a flawed process. It insisted that all security measures must be independently verified before any fresh examination date is announced.
The student body further demanded financial reimbursement for candidates who had already travelled to examination centres and appeared for the cancelled examination, particularly students from Arunachal Pradesh who often undertake long and expensive journeys to reach test centres.
Highlighting the stateโs geographical challenges, AAPSU noted that only four examination centres โ Itanagar/Naharlagun, Basar, Namsai and Pasighat โ were allotted for NEET-UG 2026 in Arunachal Pradesh. Students from remote districts such as Tawang, Anjaw, Dibang Valley, Longding and Tirap reportedly had to travel for days under difficult terrain and poor connectivity conditions.
The union said such circumstances place enormous financial and physical strain on aspirants and adversely impact their performance during examinations.
Demanding immediate corrective measures, AAPSU called on the NTA to establish additional NEET examination centres in major district headquarters including Bomdila, Tawang, Tezu, Ziro, Aalo, Changlang, Deomali and Roing.
Describing the issue as a recurring concern for students from northeastern and hill states, the union alleged that the continued neglect of the matter amounts to โstructural discriminationโ against students from frontier regions.
AAPSU also sought a national policy guaranteeing in-state examination centres for candidates from geographically challenging states, stating that students of Arunachal Pradesh deserve access to a fair and credible examination system without risking their health, finances or family livelihood.
The union affirmed that it would continue pursuing the matter through representations to the Ministry of Education and wider student mobilisation until its demands are addressed.
