Wednesday, 13 May 2026
Wednesday, 13 May 2026
The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak probe widened on Wednesday with the CBI taking four people into custody in Maharashtra for questioning, even as protests erupted across several states against the cancellation of the national medical entrance examination.
Officials said three suspects were taken into custody from Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district and are being questioned at the office of the police superintendent.
A woman was separately detained from Pune and later handed over to the CBI for further investigation.
A Mumbai-based CBI team has been camping in Ahilyanagar since Tuesday as part of the nationwide probe into the alleged leak of the NEET-UG question paper conducted on May 3.
Sources said one of the key suspects being questioned is Dhananjay Lokhande, while investigators are also examining the role of several others who have emerged during the probe.
The questioning is aimed at establishing the chain of circulation and identifying those involved in distributing the leaked paper across states.
Officials said the action in Ahilyanagar followed disclosures made by Shubham Khairnar, who was earlier arrested in Nashik on Tuesday and is suspected to have played a role in procuring and circulating the leaked paper.
Investigators believe he may have been part of a wider network linked to interstate distribution.
Pune Police confirmed that the detained woman was picked up from the Bibwewadi area and handed over to the central agency after preliminary questioning.
Investigators are also examining digital and communication trails as part of efforts to map the network involved in the alleged leak.
As the probe expanded, student anger erupted across the country. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, staged protests outside the residence of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi, demanding his resignation and carrying placards reading “Paper Chor” and “Transparency, not conspiracy.”
Protests were also held in Himachal Pradesh, where NEET aspirants demanded the dissolution of the NTA and a judicial inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) burnt effigies of the NTA in Shimla and held demonstrations in multiple districts, accusing the agency of failing to ensure fair examinations.
In Karnataka, NSUI protests spread across Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hubballi, Raichur, Chikkaballapura and Bagalkote, with activists demanding strict action against those responsible and questioning the credibility of national examinations. Some protestors were detained during demonstrations.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS, also held protests outside the NTA office in Delhi, demanding transparency and strict punishment for those involved. Police deployed heavy security and Rapid Action Force personnel after attempts were made to breach barricades, though officials said law and order was maintained.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress workers staged protests demanding a Supreme Court-monitored investigation and action against those responsible for the alleged leak.
Working president of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee Raman Bhalla held a demonstration outside the party headquarters in Jammu. Bhalla accused the government of "playing with the future of the youth"
"Strict action should be taken against all those involved in paper leak cases and those responsible must resign," he said.
NEET aspirants across states expressed distress over the cancellation, with many saying months of preparation had been disrupted and uncertainty now surrounds the re-examination process.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination was held on May 3 and reports of leak of its question paper have triggered investigations by the Rajasthan Special Operations Group (SOG) and the CBI.
The NTA on Tuesday announced the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 and said the examination would be reconducted on dates to be announced later.
