Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government for failing to satisfactorily address allegations that the results of this year’s National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test were rigged.
Vadra also questioned why the Centre had been “ignoring the voice of lakhs of students”.
The results of the medical entrance examination were announced on Tuesday. Subsequently, several aspirants alleged that an inflation of marks had led to 67 candidates securing the top rank, including six from the same examination centre, The Hindu reported.
The National Testing Agency, which conducts the examination, denied the allegations, The New Indian Express reported. The agency said that a revision in the answer key of the physics paper, along with compensatory marks provided for the loss of writing time, led to 67 candidates securing the top rank.
On Friday, Vadra noted that questions were being asked about how six students from the same examination centre had scored full marks in the paper.
“On the other hand, there are reports of many children dying by suicide across the country after the results were announced,” she said in a social media post. “This is very sad and shocking.”
An 18-year-old student preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test died by suicide on Wednesday in Rajasthan’s Kota district, the Hindustan Times reported. This is the tenth case of an aspirant preparing for an entrance examination reportedly dying by suicide this year.
“Why is the government ignoring the voice of lakhs of students?” Vadra asked on Friday. “Students want answers to legitimate questions related to the rigging in the NEET exam results. Is it not the government's responsibility to investigate and resolve these legitimate complaints?”
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