NEET row: Nagpur aspirant gets Abu Dhabi centre, NTA changes it back

A NEET aspirant from Nagpur was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, prompting an outcry. The NTA rectified the issue, assigning a new centre in Nagpur while claiming the student themselves had chosen the overseas location during the correction window.

Nagpur Student Allotted Abu Dhabi Centre

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday allotted PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ajni, Nagpur as the examination centre for NEET aspirant Abdullah Mohammad Talib after he was initially assigned an exam centre in Abu Dhabi, triggering concerns and drawing attention on social media.

The issue surfaced after the Nagpur-based candidate downloaded his admit card and found that his examination centre had been allotted in Abu Dhabi just a day before the NEET-UG 2026 examination. The development led to widespread criticism, with the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, raising the matter and questioning the examination system's handling of students' concerns.

Family's Ordeal and Plea

Detailing the incident, the student's father, Mohammad Talib, said, "After the admit card was downloaded at 4 pm yesterday, we found the Centre mentioned to be a school in Abu Dhabi. We were really shocked as we had not given anything as such in our options. We dialled up the helpline number. They told us to send them a mail. When we sent a mail, we received a call that we will be issued a fresh admit card by 4 pm on Saturday."

He further added, "We had given 3 districts as options but we now demand that Nagpur be given us as the Centre because he is shocked. There is no time to go to any other district. He cried a lot yesterday and did not even want to write the exam. But his mother tried to convince him. If he is convinced, he will appear for the exam. He does not even have a passport..."

NTA Rectifies Issue, Family Expresses Relief

Responding to the issue, the NTA posted on X that the grievance was being addressed and that the candidate would be allocated a centre in Nagpur after due verification. Following the verification process, the agency allotted PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ajni as the student's examination centre.

Speaking after the revised allotment, Abdullah's father expressed satisfaction and relief, stating that the family was worried about the logistical challenges posed by the overseas centre. He thanked the authorities for addressing the matter promptly and ensuring that his son would be able to appear for the examination in Nagpur. His father, Mohammad Talib, says, "Just 5 minutes ago, we received the fresh admit card with the exam centre in Nagpur. We are very thankful to the Agency for this prompt action. We are also thankful to the media for raising this issue. Abdullah is not ready to write the exam again, but we are convincing him. Now that he has the fresh admit card, we will speak with him again. I can't express in words how tense we were...They should ensure that nothing like this occurs in the future. No one else should go through what we had to."

NTA Clarifies Stance on Centre Allotment

Giving a clarification about the whole situation, the NTA posted on X stating that the city of Abu Dhabi was chosen by the student himself. "On the 'Abu Dhabi' query: NTA's web-activity records indicate that the city change in this case was made through the candidate's own registered login during the open correction window, with a consistent single-user access pattern," NTA said.

Reference the issue with regard to allotment of a centre in Abu Dhabi to a candidate in Nagpur, NTA would like to state the following: Following the rescheduling of NEET (UG) 2026 to 21 June, the National Testing Agency reopened the examination-city correction window to assist… — National Testing Agency (@NTA_Exams) June 20, 2026

It added that even though the centre was chosen by the student himself, it still accepted last-minute changes after confirming with the father. "Despite the Abu Dhabi centre being chosen by the candidate, the NTA received an informal request on the evening of June 19 (just 48 hours before the exam) to change the centre to Nagpur. NTA personnel immediately initiated the change and contacted the candidate's father on 19th evening itself to help them complete the formal process," the NTA further said.

"Student-First" Approach Cited

The NTA upheld that its priority has always been a "student-first" approach, thereby quickly resolving the matter. "NTA has observed that on 3 occasions, one - the centre was changed to Abu Dhabi using the candidate's credentials, and twice it was previewed that the centre is Abu Dhabi. Despite that, NTA has accorded to the aspirant's request, and the change of centre was actioned. A "Student-First" Approach: The NTA's priority is that no candidate misses the examination over an administrative doubt," the NTA assured.

Issue Resolved Ahead of Re-Exam

The chaos unfolds just a day ahead of the medical entrance examination scheduled for June 21. A NEET aspirant from Nagpur was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, despite opting for Nagpur as his preferred test city, leaving the candidate and his family in a state of uncertainty.

Later, National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh clarified that the issue regarding a Nagpur-based student being allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam has been resolved. Speaking to ANI, NTA DG Abhishek Singh stated that the discrepancy has been rectified and the student has been assigned a centre in their home city. "The issue has been resolved, and the candidate has now been allotted a centre in Nagpur," Singh told ANI. The student had earlier been assigned a centre at Saraswati Vidyalaya in Nagpur for the original NEET examination. However, after the exam was rescheduled following the paper leak controversy, he downloaded his new admit card only to discover that his examination centre had been shifted to the Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)