Congress President Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education after media reports alleged that personal details of students who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test this year had been leaked. The names, phone numbers, and email addresses, besides NEET scores and rankings, of over two lakh candidates were available online for a price, reported PTI.
In the letter addressed to CBSE chairperson Anita Karwal on July 20, Gandhi said he was “shocked by this wide scale theft of personal data that has compromised the privacy of candidates across the country”.
“This highlights the serious lack of safeguards to prevent data breach, and calls into question the ability of the CBSE to ensure the sanctity of the examination process,” he wrote. The Congress president urged Karwal to order an inquiry and take action against the officials responsible for the data breach.
Buyers were willing to pay up to Rs 2 lakh for this personal data of students, reported The Wire on July 18.
The NEET exam was conducted on May 7 and over 13 lakh candidates appeared for it.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!