"Unacceptable" AASU Chief Slams Centre Over NEET-NET Irregularities

Amid the ongoing chaos surrounding examinations like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the National Eligibility Test (NET) that are conducted nationally, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) on Saturday termed the handling of the matter by the Centre as "completely unacceptable".

AASU chief advisor Dr Samujjal Bhattacharjya alleged corruption in the conduction of NEET and NET. This comes after both the exams have been rocked by controversies recently.

Bhattacharjya said, "Those found guilty in the case should be dealt with the toughest punitive measures," as he questioned the Centre's silence over the matter.

"We will never accept this," he added while warning the state and the central governments to buckle up.

On Saturday, the Centre enacted a stringent law aimed at combating malpractices in competitive examinations amid paper leak allegations. The newly operationalized Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, carries severe penalties, including up to 10 years in jail and fines up to Rs 1 crore for offenders.

Earlier, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the establishment of a high-level committee to investigate issues concerning the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The controversy surrounding irregularities in NEET intensified following confessions from four arrested individuals that the question paper for the medical entrance exam had been leaked the day before.

Meanwhile, NTA annulled the UGC-NET June 2024 Examination on Wednesday following potential security breaches, a day after the exams were conducted across the country.

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