NEET: CBI questions school principal; 2 accused sent to 3-day remand | 10 points

A special team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday questioned a principal of the Oasis school in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, who was the district coordinator of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET UG-2024) examination, amid its probe into the exam's alleged irregularities. Along with the principal, a few other staff members of the school were also quizzed at the CCL guest house at Charhi, a town in the Hazaribagh district.

Here are the top updates on the NEET UG probe:

1. The Oasis school principal, Dr Ehsanul Haque, has denied any tampering with question papers in Hazaribag and termed the allegations against him as “baseless”.
2. According to officials, an eight-member team of the CBI visited the main branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district as the manager of the bank was reportedly the custodian of the NEET-UG 2024 exam question papers. The bank had received the question papers sent by a courier service operator in an e-rickshaw, reported PTI, citing sources.
3. A special CBI court in Patna has sent two accused in the NEET question paper leak case - Chintu Kumar and Mukesh Kumar - to CBI remand for three days.
4. Chintu Kumar, who is associated with the notorious Sanjeev Kumar alias Lutan Mukhiya gang, allegedly received the solved answer sheet of the NEET-UG in PDF format on his mobile phone a day before the exam, reported PTI, citing sources. Reportedly, Mukesh is also associated with the gang.
5. According to preliminary investigations, Kumar and his associates printed and distributed the solved answer sheet to students gathered at a safe house in Ram Krishna Nagar in Patna on May 4 for memorisation, reported PTI. It was also found that the leaked NEET-UG question paper was obtained from a private school in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, by the Mukhiya gang.
6. The CBI is trying to nab the other absconding members of the Mukhiya gang, accused of orchestrating multiple interstate paper leaks.
7. On Wednesday, a Delhi team of the CBI visited a guest house in Patna and the housing society of Sikandar Yadavendu, a prime suspect in the case. Reportedly, the guest house was allegedly booked for Yadavendu by an individual, who is reportedly associated with a prominent politician of Bihar.
8. Reportedly, the role of some private colleges and institutes, which allegedly sent solvers on behalf of actual candidates in the NEET exam, is also under investigation. Apart from the Oasis school, St Xavier’s school, DAV Public school, Holy Cross school, and Vivekananda Central school are also being investigated.
9. Earlier, a person associated with a Kolkata-based educational institute was arrested for allegedly taking money from a student's parent and promising a place on the NEET merit list. Reportedly, the accused had also assured the student in one of the medical colleges in Kolkata. Previously, the Economic Offence Wing (EOU) of the Bihar Police had arrested 18 persons in the NEET paper leak case.
10. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting of the party MLAs and MLCs on Wednesday ahead of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature, asking them to raise the issues of irregularities in NEET. Meanwhile, the Kerala Assembly also unanimously passed a resolution condemning the irregularities in the NEET and NET entrance exams conducted by the NTA.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)