Rajasthan: A NEET UG aspirant was allegedly denied entry into the examination center in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district on Sunday, June 21, because she was wearing a burqa.
Kulsum Bano had come with her father from Beawar to write the medical entrance exam, which is being re-conducted on Sunday after the May 3rd exam was cancelled due to an alleged paper leak.
Police officers stationed as security told her that a burqa and hijab were not allowed and she needed to remove both to enter the examination hall.
Speaking to reporters, an irate Bano said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) allows religious attire inside the examination hall.
“When I took the exam on May 3rd, I was in the same attire then as I am now: wearing a burqa and a dupatta. If the NTA has permitted us, these people cannot stop us,” she said.
Bano also said she is ready to give up on the exam rather than lose her Muslim identity. “If I am to take the exam and they don’t allow me in this attire, then I simply won’t take it… It is shameful that they are messing with 18-year-olds like this… The exam doesn’t matter to me; what matters is my ‘burqa’ and my identity,” she said.
Her father, Mohammad Aalim, said that when they requested a female staff member to check his daughter, it was refused. “Rule 18 states that you are permitted to attend while wearing your religious attire,” he said.
“Since the NTA has established this rule, they must allow it; otherwise, my daughter will not go to take the exam without her burqa,” he said.
Issue is sought out: Ajmer Police
Ajmer Police has clarified that the issue has been addressed and the re-examination is being conducted smoothly. “There was some lack of clarity regarding certain rules, which was subsequently clarified by senior officials. The issue regarding the burqa has also been resolved. All students have been admitted peacefully,” said Circle Officer Shivam Joshi.
Amid tight security arrangements, lakhs of students sat down to attend the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Undergraduate (NEET UG 2026) re-exam at different centers of India.
The examination is being held from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm, with the provision of an additional 15 minutes this time.
A total of 1,38,560 CCTV cameras have been installed, with feeds monitored virtually at the national, state and ministry levels, officials said. To secure the examination against electronic malpractice, 51,311 jammers have been deployed.
