NEW DELHI: The cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination amid allegations of a question paper leak triggered protests in Delhi on Tuesday, with student organisations hitting the streets to demand accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Union government.
Many students and parents reacted angrily to the development. Insurance executive Surendra Singh’s daughter Sneha Singh had made a third attempt to clear the NEET exam on May 3.
He said in dismay, “She had done well this time and was sure of securing around 550 out of 720 marks. We are a middle-class family. I paid `1 lakh for her coaching to an institute in Greater Noida in installments. We were confident of a BMS seat at least after her good performance.”
Another parent Anil Kumar Verma, based in Uttar Pradesh, said, “My daughter has dedicated two years of her life to take up this exam. We sent her to study in Delhi for the exam, and this is very expensive. The leak should never have been allowed.”
Meanwhile, members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged a sit-in protest outside the NTA office, raising slogans against the Centre and carrying placards targeting the Centre and the PM. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a statement, the NSUI alleged that repeated examination irregularities had exposed the failure of the NTA and called for strict action against those responsible for the leak. “Our demand is that corrupt and failed institutions like NTA be shut down.
An independent and impartial investigation into the entire paper leak scam must be conducted, and the guilty must be given the harshest possible punishment, so that the future of the country’s students remains secure,” the organisation said.
Simultaneously, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a protest outside Ministry of Human Resource Development at Shastri Bhawan, condemning both the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 and what it described as the government’s “repression” of protesting students.
According to SFI, over 25 activists, including its all India president Adarsh M Saji, joint secretary Aishe Ghosh, Delhi state president Sooraj Elamon, and several other members, were detained by the Delhi Police during the demonstration. The organisation claimed protesters were peacefully protesting.
SFI says over 25 activists detained
According to the SFI, over 25 activists, including its all India president Adarsh M Saji, joint secretary Aishe Ghosh, Delhi state president Sooraj Elamon, and several other members, were detained by the Delhi Police. The organisation claimed protesters were peacefully protesting outside Ministry of Human Resource Development at Shastri Bhawan.