New Delhi: After the National Testing Agency on Tuesday officially cancelled the NEET UG 2026 examination over alleged paper leak, Abhishek Singh, chief of the agency, deleted a week-old LinkedIn post in which he praised the “scale,” “transparency,” and “complexity” of conducting India’s biggest medical entrance examination.
The now-deleted post described NEET-UG as a “national public-service responsibility” and highlighted the “massive scale” of the examination process, which was held on 3 May, before allegations emerged that a ‘guess paper’ matched parts of the actual exam, leading to the cancellation of the exams. The development affected more than 22 lakh candidates.
Singh had explained in detail the logistical challenges of conducting the exam in 13 languages and across multiple centres nationwide. He also cited figures related to lakhs of candidates and numerous exam centres, presenting the process as an example of efficient large-scale coordination.
“On Sunday, 3rd May 2026, 22.09 lakh candidates wrote NEET (UG) across 5,432 centres in India and 14 centres abroad in a single shift, on pen and paper, with a turnout of 96.92%. What that sentence hides is the machinery behind it,” he wrote in his post, further elaborating on the process and the hard work involved.
Singh also spoke about the complexity of the examination system and the pressure involved in ensuring fairness for aspirants.
“Confidential question papers printed, secured, and moved to over 5,400 locations. Biometric authentication of every candidate at the gate. 1,50,000 CCTV cameras with AI-assisted monitoring at four levels. Frisking protocols with separate enclosures for women candidates,” he added.
Speaking about the incident earlier, Singh said that action would be taken against those involved in the matter. He added that students’ examination fees would be refunded and that fresh guidelines and revised exam dates would be announced soon.
“A fresh examination will be conducted soon to ensure fairness for all candidates,” he had said earlier.
Also read: How students in Sikar are dealing with the re-NEET announcement
Praise and controversy
Speaking further about the entire process of conducting the examination, Singh added in his post that extensive multi-agency coordination is required to conduct NEET-UG across India and abroad.
“Coordination with state governments, district administrations, police, MEA and Indian embassies abroad, ECIL, BEL, EDCIL, NIC, and hundreds of thousands of invigilators and observers. Every one of those layers exists for a reason. Each one also adds friction for a 17-year-old walking into the most important three hours of their life so far,” he had added in the post.
However, amid the exam leak controversy, his earlier post faced criticism before being deleted. The comment section was filled with angry reactions, with many questioning the claims of integrity and confidentiality. Several comments demanded that Singh should resign immediately.
“On moral ground you should resign if you have a sort of accountability. You were the DG, NTA in 2024 when similar incidents were reported,” wrote a user under his post.
After the alleged paper leak, Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group reportedly uncovered a network selling leaked papers for between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 lakh. Eventually, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested five people in the matter after nationwide raids. Additionally, more than 45 individuals have been detained or questioned across multiple states.
The cancellation has triggered massive outrage among students and parents, with many questioning how those who worked hard are being made to suffer. The controversy has once again put the spotlight on the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has faced repeated criticism in recent years over exam glitches and alleged paper leaks.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)
Even these IAS officers might have passed Civil Services Exams through leaked papers. Their incompetency shows this