Opposition MPs Raise the Alarm Over NEET‑UG Paper Leak and Student Arrests

On 22 July 2026, the corridors of Parliament buzzed with dissent after the National Testing Agency scrapped the NEET‑UG exam that had been held on 3 May 2026. The uproar centred on accusations that the question paper had been leaked on a massive scale – the fourth such incident in nine years, according to opposition members.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party tabled a “Suspension of Business” notice under Rule 267. In his filing, Singh not only condemned the alleged leak but also highlighted the police clamp‑down on students who had taken to the streets in protest. He even mentioned the deteriorating health of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently hospitalised in Gurugram.

Across the house, Congress MP Manish Tewari raised an adjournment motion, urging the government to rethink the nation’s anti‑defection law – a move that some observers say is meant to pressure the ruling party on the education front.

The numbers quoted in the notices are stark. Over 22 lakh (22,05,035) aspirants sat for the original NEET‑UG test. When the exam was reconvened, just under 20 lakh (19,99,895) appeared, leaving roughly 2.05 lakh students absent – the highest absentee rate recorded for the exam.

Opposition members also warned that more than 150 question papers have allegedly been leaked across India in the last decade, affecting about 7 crore students. While these figures come from parliamentary submissions and have not been independently verified, they have added fuel to the fire.

The situation remains fluid. The Ministry of Education has yet to issue a comprehensive statement, and the National Testing Agency is expected to release its own findings in the coming days. Meanwhile, students continue to stage sit‑ins outside examination centres, demanding transparency and a fair chance to compete.