NEET-UG 2024: CBI collects evidence from Bihar Police

The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar police handed over all the evidence collected linked to the alleged National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test- Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2024 paper leak case to a two-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on June 24.

The evidence included a partially burned question paper that was found at a home in Patna, the cell phones and laptops of the arrested individuals, post-dated checks, and reference question papers from the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The statements of the 18 people detained in the case—prime suspect Sikandar Yadavendu, his associates, a few candidates, and their parents—are scheduled to be recorded by the CBI team. If the central agency gets a transit remand from a court, it can also take the accused to Delhi for in-depth questioning.

The CBI is expected to file a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the destruction of evidence and register disproportionate assets (DA) cases against some of the accused, who are public servants.

Sikandar Yadavendu, the main suspect in the case, has a criminal past and has served time in jail. Additionally, it is said that he has accumulated enormous assets that are out of proportion to his known source of income.

A widespread protest against fraud in the NEET 2024 exams has been organized by a number of student body organizations, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI), Tribal Students Union (TSU), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and Tribal Youth Federation (TYF).

In the aftermath of the paper leak controversy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advised Prime Minister Modi to consider doing away with NEET and going back to the state-conducted examination system.

Earlier, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Vijay Kumar Sinha claimed that the arrested prime suspect in the NEET paper leak case is linked to officials associated with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav.

On the contrary, RJD shared several photographs of Amit Anand, one of the accused, Nitish Kumar, and relatives of Sanjeev Kumar, alias Lutan Mukhiya, with leaders of the ruling NDA and demanded an extensive investigation into the "links" between the two sides.

Authorities have identified Sanjeev Mukhiya, also known as Sanjeev Singh, of the Nalanda district in Bihar as the purported mastermind of the latest controversies surrounding the medical entrance exam.

Sanjeev Mukhiya has been involved in exam fraud for 20 years. Mukhiya, who once worked as a technical assistant at the Nalanda College branch in Noorsarai, has been connected to several instances of paper leaks, including the renowned 2016 Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) constable recruitment exam leak.

Mukhiya and Ravi Atri are accused of operating a "Solver Gang," in which they provide exam proxies or leaked question papers. The scope and reach of the operation have been demonstrated by the inquiry, which has uncovered a network spanning numerous states and involving exams for both teacher and constable recruitment.

Mukhiya's wife, Mamta Devi, serves as the mukhiya or chief of the Bhuthakhar panchayat, a position she assumed after getting a ticket from the Lok Janshakti Party. His son, Shiv Kumar, is facing legal issues due to his suspected involvement in another exam paper leak case involving Bihar's teacher recruitment examinations.

Sanjeev Mukhiya is suspected of organizing the distribution of NEET-UG question papers and answer sheets for the 2024 exam. According to reports, he obtained these private documents from an unidentified professor via a mobile phone.

Law enforcement agencies are stepping up their search for him as they crack down harder on his suspected network in an effort to catch him.

Mukhiya may have run away to Nepal when the debate got out of control, making the extradition process more difficult because of the bilateral agreements between Nepal and India.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) administered the NEET (UG) 2024 to over 24 lakh students at 4,750 centers in 571 locations (including 14 abroad). The results of the NEET (UG) 2024 were announced on June 4.