NEET 2025: Over 1500 suspicious Paper Leak Claims, NTA Flags 122 Telegram, Instagram Accounts
New Delhi: Just ahead of the NEET 2025, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has flagged 122 social media accounts for allegedly spreading false claims of a question paper leak. These include 106 Telegram channels and 16 Instagram accounts, identified through the agency’s newly launched Suspicious Claims Reporting Portal. The move is part of a larger crackdown on misinformation that aims to mislead aspirants and create panic ahead of the national-level MBBS entrance exam.
The portal, launched on April 26, has already received over 1,500 submissions, with a majority of the complaints linked to Telegram-based fake leak claims. The NTA has requested Instagram and Telegram to take down these accounts and share details of their administrators for further legal action. All such cases have been forwarded to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"Just ahead of the NEET UG Exam, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has asked Instagram and Telegram to take down over 120 accounts ''spreading false claims'' about the question paper leak, Acting on inputs received through its newly launched Suspicious Claims Reporting Portal, the testing agency has identified 106 Telegram channels and 16 Instagram accounts pushing fake narratives related to the exam," sources at NTA told ANI.
“These channels falsely claimed access to the NEET (UG) 2025 question paper and were misleading students. All such cases have been escalated to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs,” sources said.
“The NTA has requested Telegram and Instagram to immediately take down these channels to prevent the spread of falsehoods and unnecessary panic among aspirants,” sources added.
In addition to requesting takedowns, the NTA has urged both platforms to share details of the admins behind these groups to enable further legal action.
Launched on April 26, the portal has already received over 1,500 submissions — a majority of them tied to Telegram-based fake leak claims. The agency has urged the public to report three types of violations: unauthorized platforms claiming access to the paper, individuals asserting possession of exam content, and impersonators posing as NTA or government officials, adds ANI report.
The NEET UG 2025 exam is scheduled to take place on May 4, across more than 5,000 centres in over 550 cities throughout the country. Authorities clarified that the circulating claims are false and intended to mislead aspirants and cause unnecessary panic.
The NTA has urged the public to report three types of violations: platforms or individuals claiming to possess the question paper, unauthorized sharing of exam content, and impersonation of NTA or government officials. These actions are punishable under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act.
Suspicious activities can be reported until 5 PM on May 4, 2025, via the official portal.
