NEET-UG 2026 re-exam: NTA holds mock drill, Odisha beefs up security

The NTA will hold a nationwide mock drill for the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam scheduled for June 21. Odisha Police have arranged extensive security at 132 centres. The test comes amid political controversy over an alleged paper leak and malpractice.

Preparations for NEET-UG Re-examination

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct a nationwide mock drill on Saturday (June 20) ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21, as part of its standard preparedness exercise before the examination.

Meanwhile, Odisha Police have put in place extensive security arrangements for the re-examination, which will be conducted at 132 centres across 27 districts in the state.

Speaking to ANI, Odisha ADG (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said clear instructions had been issued by both the Central and State governments to eliminate any possibility of malpractice or sabotage during the examination. "NEET re-exam is going to be held on June 21. This time, we have made extensive arrangements for it. The instructions from the Central Government and the State Government have come very clearly: if there is any possibility of malpractice or sabotage, it should be eliminated," Kumar said.

He said the question papers had safely reached their designated locations and security personnel had been deployed to safeguard them. "The question papers have arrived at their designated locations safely. Our squads have been deployed. We also have some CAPF squads. They have been deployed at our designated secure locations," he said.

Kumar further said that preparations had been completed for all 132 centres and that a nodal officer had been appointed to oversee the arrangements. "Security audits have been conducted at all our examination centres. All Superintendents have been instructed to have a senior officer in charge of each centre. They will inspect it thoroughly. We have 132 centres in 27 districts across Odisha, for which preparations have been fully completed. Our nodal officer has been appointed. Overall, I am personally overseeing the situation," he said.

Political Backlash Over Alleged Paper Leak

The re-examination comes amid continuing political criticism over the alleged NEET paper leak. Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee President Govind Singh Dotasra, while speaking to ANI, alleged that the NEET paper was leaked by people at the NTA who were close associates of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"What the government is doing is nothing but a charade. The NEET paper was leaked by people at NTA who were Dharmendra Pradhan's close associates... This isn't a logistical problem," Dotasra said. He further questioned the paper-making system, "The problem lies in their paper-making system itself. When your paper-making system has collapsed, why are you talking so much? Why are you shutting down Telegram?"

Similarly, Rajasthan Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully alleged that those involved in the paper leak were linked to the BJP. "The government has failed. Children are dying by suicide. They are depressed.... Rahul Gandhi raised the voice of the students, asking how the money people pay to coaching institutes is more than India's education budget... Those who leaked the paper are from the BJP itself. Those who were appointed to the NTA by Dharmendra Pradhan... When the army is supposed to handle all this, what are you doing? This is the government's responsibility, isn't it?" he asked.

Related Developments: Telegram Block and Tech Policy

Separately, the Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the Centre's decision to temporarily block Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, observing that the platform's architecture enables rapid amplification of unlawful content and that narrower measures had failed to curb misuse linked to examination fraud.

Commenting on the same, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), S Krishnan said, "Telegram issue is a matter where the court has passed an order."

Further on the government's request to ICAN for on-route service, Krishnan said the government has been pushing for a root server to be located in India to support the country's large internet user base. "We have been pushing for locating a root server in India, given the number of people who use the internet and in terms of long-term resilience of the internet system itself. It is a long-drawn process. There are other ways in which we are making sure that adequate memory is there. Mirror sites are there. We are building resilience," he said.

On artificial intelligence guidelines, Krishnan said discussions on the draft AI guidelines were continuing. "That draft has been shared. We are working on various elements of it. It's also a fast-evolving space and we now have the AI governance group. So that will meet, and when they meet, they will take stock," he added. (ANI)

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