The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 29 arrested a Hazaribagh-based journalist in connection with the alleged paper leak of this year’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate).
The journalist named Jamaluddin, works for a Hindi newspaper, and has been held for allegedly assisting the principal and vice principal of Oasis School.
On June 28, the central investigating agency arrested Ehsanul Haque, principal of the school, and Imtiaz Alam, vice-principal and Hazaribagh district coordinator for NEET-UG designated by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Both work with Jharkhand’s Oasis School where investigators suspect the alleged leak occurred.
Meanwhile, the CBI teams are carrying out searches at seven locations in Gujarat. The operation is said to have begun in the morning at the premises of suspects in Godhra, Kheda, Ahmedabad and Anand. This is related to the FIR earlier probed by Godhra police.
The first CBI FIR was registered on June 23, a day after the education ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the exam to the central agency.
On June 27, the CBI made its first arrest in the case as part of its investigation into the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam.
According to the officials, two arrested accused from Patna, Ashutosh Kumar and Manish Kumar, allegedly provided a location where some of those who appeared for the exam were given the leaked NEET question paper and answer keys.
NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions. The government has also deferred the NEET-PG examination as a ‘precautionary measure’.
The NEET row has triggered a political storm in the first session of 18th Lok Sabha, with the opposition demanding an immediate discussion on the alleged irregularities and cancellations of competitive exams.