NEET Question Paper mix up: Health minister agrees to re-exam at Rajasthan's exam centre

New Delhi: As some discrepancies were found during the conduct of NEET 2022 examination held at Army Public School in Sriganganagar district in Rajasthan on Sunday, the Central government has agreed to reconduct the test at the exam centre. 

The re-exam date is yet to be announced.

Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister of State, Nihal Chand apprised the government that English question papers were given to 238 Hindi medium students on July 17.

The NEET 2022 examination was taken by 936 students at the Army Public School in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, of which 698 students had enrolled for an English medium question paper while 238 students had opted for a Hindi medium. However, the papers were mixed up creating a panic among the aspirants at the exam centre.

According to a report by The Indian Express, late Sunday evening, in a factual report sent by centre superintendent, Raja Sharma, to the observers for the NEET exam, it was recommended that the examination should be conducted again for the centre at Army Public School, Sriganganagar.

"It was informed to the control room that some students are facing the issue of the booklets being in English medium and we found out that the students who opted for Hindi medium received the English-medium booklet. The problem was looked into and reported to the city coordinator, who on the directions of the National Testing Agency, tried to solve the problem. Out of 936 students, there were 238 students, who opted Hindi medium for the exam and the rest were for English medium. A majority of the students were affected because of this problem," stated the factual report.

The report added that following the mistake, some booklets were also exchanged with photocopied OMR sheets.

"The instruction received by the city coordinator after consultation with National Testing Agency as they told me, was to exchange the questions papers of Hindi and English Medium and restart the exam with photostat of OMR Sheets. We talked with students however the students refused to do so. It was informed to the city coordinator," said the report.

"The city coordinator visited the centre along with the observer of the school. City coordinator along with observer of her school entered some of the rooms and exchanged booklets along with xeroxed OMR Sheets. They tried to convince the students. Some of the students agreed for the same and some didn't agree," adds the report.

Soon after the exam ended, protests began outside the exam centre at around 5:20 pm by the parents of the students demanding re-examination for the said subjects as they were handed over the wrong medium paper. The matter was also taken to social media shocking the entire nation since it is considered as India's single largest medical entrance exam.

Lok Sabha member of Parliament Nihal Chand on Wednesday conveyed the matter to the Health Minister who has now given his nod to conduct the re-exam at the exam centre.

Chand confirmed the news on Twitter and said, "On July 17, 2022, when the irregularities came to the fore in the NEET 2022 examination held in Sriganganagar (Rajasthan), he met the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya ji and requested to re-conduct this examination keeping in mind the future of the candidates."

"Keeping in mind the seriousness of this subject, the (Health) minister has given his consent to re-conduct this examination in Sriganganagar soon. On behalf of the students and their parents, thanks to the minister," he said.

Also read- Female NEET Candidates Asked To Remove Undergarments While Frisking, Human Rights Commission Seeks Report

Meanwhile, another controversy erupted this year in Kerala where the female students were asked to remove their innerwear before entering the NEET 2022 exam hall near Ayoor in Kollam.