Telangana Congress burns effigies of Education Minister over NEET paper leak

Hyderabad: Telangana Youth Congress staged a massive protest at the Ambedkar Statue in Himayat Nagar over the NEET UG 2026 paper leak on Wednesday, May 13 and burnt effigies of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Slogans were raised demanding strict action against those involved in the alleged paper leak, resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, and a complete ban on the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Congress further stated that the Modi government’s silence on the NEET “scam” exposes its indifference to 22 lakh students.

NEET UG 2026 cancellation

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 12, announced the cancellation of NEET (UG) 2026 amid allegations of paper leak, and said the examination will be re-conducted on dates to be notified separately.

NTA said that findings shared by law enforcement agencies established that the “present examination process could not be allowed to stand.”

According to the agency, inputs regarding alleged malpractice activity were received on the evening of May 7, four days after the examination, and were escalated to central agencies on the morning of May 8 for “independent verification and necessary action”.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now conducting a comprehensive inquiry into the matter and has so far arrested five people across multiple locations.

The CBI arrested Mangilal Biwal, Vikas Biwal and Dinesh Biwal from Jaipur, Yash Yadav from Gurugram and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, with several other suspects being quizzed in various cities.

(With inputs from PTI.)