Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 22: While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi waited at the Delhi airport for over 45 minutes to avoid his cavalcade disrupt road traffic movement when students appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Under Graduate (NEET-UG) for medical admission, a Congress rally around the same time in Bengaluru reportedly caused three candidates to miss the re-test for arriving late at the examination centre.
The incident caused political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress, the ruling party in Karnataka, over allegations by parents of the students who were held up in the traffic jam due to the political rally. Over 22 lakh students appeared for the NEET UG re-test across the country on Sunday, about seven weeks after the annual test on May 3 was invalidated a few days later due to alleged paper leak.
The exam began at 2 pm. Students were asked to report half an hour earlier. But as the clock ticked, panic unfolded on some of the Bengaluru roads. Parents with two-wheelers tried to squeeze through rows of cars. Some rode their scooters on footpaths.
Three students who arrived late were left heartbroken. Their efforts had gone in vain. Entry had stopped. They tried to climb the exam centre’s main gate, but the gate inside had closed by then too. They were not allowed to sit for the re-test.
Angry parents pinned the blame on a Congress rally that had led to a traffic jam. They named Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in their outbursts while their wards broke down in tears. Krishna Murthy, father of one of the aspirants, said they managed to reach the exam centre only at the last minute due to the rally. “The 7-km stretch that usually takes 20 minutes took more than 35 minutes yesterday. As a father, I got panicked. I had to ride on the footpath, and the cops scolded us. But there was no option.”
Another parent said neither Rahul Gandhi, DK Shivakumar, nor Bengaluru Police Commissioner appeared to be concerned. “Rahul Gandhi went to Kota for the cause of students, right? But because of his party’s function today, four students missed their examination. Who is answerable to them?” he asked.
Another parent claimed that the road outside a NEET re-test centre had been blocked for over three hours. “NEET was announced a month ago. Entire India knew that NEET will be held on June 21. But the Congress organised a rally today. The road has been blocked for three hours. How will the children come?” the man alleged.
Sharing the video, the BJP asked how much the Congress would stoop for its hunger for power. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya captioned it: “Watch the anxious parent narrate the ordeal of reaching late to the NEET exam hall because of Congress rally in Bengaluru.” Responding to him, Congress leader and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge said Surya should first apologise for the central government’s approach towards students’ issues.
“We should not bother about Tejasvi Surya. I think he’s looking for a ministerial berth in the reshuffle. Let him do drama. The Centre is playing with the lives of students. In the last decade alone, 89 paper leaks have happened,” he thundered. Defending his party’s government, he pointed out students have missed the exam in BJP-ruled states too, like Delhi, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
“Three people did not appear for NEET in the city. One came from Magadi Road, the second had an old hall ticket, and the third came late from RT Nagar. The gates opened at 11 am. At 1.30 pm, you are supposed to report. There are biometric checks and SOPs in place. We had issued a traffic advisory and provided a helpline. Show me which BJP government has done this,” he added.
Another BJP MP, Sudhanshu Trivedi, suggested that the Congress could have changed the rally timing, if not the day, but did not do it despite knowing that NEET would be held yesterday. “This makes it clear that Congress prioritises politics over student interests. The students’ parents have raised questions for Rahul Gandhi, but it reflects the queries of the entire country. They can’t escape answering this question,” he said.
Congress’s BK Hariprasad expressed regret for the students who missed their exam and questioned the BJP over alleged suicides by NEET aspirants over the years. “I heard some students faced hardship to reach the hall. If indeed they have, I express my regrets for the inconveniences. However, I would like to ask the BJP: Due to their failures, many exams and preparations went to waste. Did they apologise?” he asked.
In a gesture towards the NEET aspirants, Mr Modi who arrived at the Delhi airport from Kolkata around 1.15 PM, waited at the airport till after the NEET re-test started at 2 PM to ensure that movement of his cavalcade did not cause traffic jam and inconvenience to the candidates in reaching the examination centre.
Meanwhile, in Bihar, a case of alleged exam fraud has come to light during the NEET UG 2026 re-examination in Lakhisarai district. Despite strict security arrangements and a seven-layer monitoring system, authorities uncovered an alleged racket and arrested thirty people who were reportedly appearing in the examination impersonating the genuine candidates.
The arrests were made during raids and verification checks conducted at various examination centres in the district. In addition to the thirty alleged solver candidates, seven employees of a private agency responsible for biometric verification have also been detained for questioning. Officials suspect that the accused were part of a larger network that arranged for individuals to take the exam in exchange for money.
According to officials, several of the arrested individuals claimed during preliminary questioning that they were associated with medical colleges. Sources indicated that some of them are reportedly students of institutions such as Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya, and other medical institutions, including some in Delhi.
Authorities are currently verifying their identities, educational records and other documents to establish their exact backgrounds and roles in the case. One of those arrested has been identified as Arpit Raj, a fourth-year MBBS student of ANMMCH, Gaya. Investigators are continuing to question him regarding the alleged racket.
The NEET UG re-examination was conducted at four centres in Lakhisarai district Kendriya Vidyalaya Kiul, Government High School Hasanpur, KRK High School and DIET Lakhisarai. During intensive verification checks, seven alleged solver candidates were caught at Kendriya Vidyalaya, one at Hasanpur High School and another at KRK High School.
Officials became suspicious after photographs and fingerprints failed to match the records of the registered candidates. Further verification allegedly revealed that those detained were writing the examination on behalf of other aspirants.
SDPO Shivam Kumar said evidence was being collected against the accused and efforts were underway to identify others linked to the network. The role of the private agency responsible for biometric attendance has also come under the scanner.
Police sources said some of the alleged impersonators were able to enter examination centres despite incomplete biometric verification. This has raised questions about possible lapses or involvement of agency personnel.
As a result, seven employees linked to the biometric verification process have been detained and are being questioned at a separate location. Investigators are trying to determine whether the irregularities were part of a larger, pre-planned operation.
Investigating agencies suspect that an organised interstate solver gang may be operating behind the alleged fraud. Police are examining how much money may have changed hands between the original candidates and the individuals who appeared in their place. Mobile phones, documents and digital records seized from the accused are also being analysed for evidence.
Officials believe the investigation could reveal a wider network extending beyond Bihar. Following reports of the alleged fraud, District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar, Superintendent of Police Prerna Kumar, SDO Prabhakar Kumar and SDPO Shivam Kumar personally visited the examination centres and reviewed the situation.