This is against the backdrop of the NEET UG 2024 scandal, when a question paper leak was reported hours before the exam in at least two states. The incident had caused widespread outrage and also raised serious questions about the integrity of one of the nation’s most competitive entrance exams to medical colleges.
At 2 pm on a hot Sunday afternoon, the gate of a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Dwarka Sector 6 closed behind hundreds of NEET UG hopefuls. Parents waited outside under the shade of temporary shelters, perspiration dripping from their brows, eyes glued to the closed gate.
Inside, 20-year-old Sheetal Pal was going through her second series of security scans — her admit card was checked, biometrics scanned, Aadhaar verified, pockets turned out, and sleeves examined. “They checked my documents twice and frisked me too,” she said, emerging three hours later, face flushed with both heat and tension.
Last year, security was not that tight compared to this year,” said Pal, a student from Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College who was appearing for the second time this year at NEET.
NEET 2025 UG (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate)
Exam — the sole entry point to India’s undergraduate medical courses — was administered at 5,453 centres in India and 13 cities overseas, with 22.7 lakh students taking it. The paper was conducted in a single sitting from 2 pm to 5 pm in pen-and-paper mode, just like earlier.
But the most striking aspect of this year’s exam was not the number of candidates — it was the increased security presence. This is against the backdrop of the NEET UG 2024 scandal, in which a question paper leak emerged hours before the exam in at least two states.
Several arrests were made, involving coaching centre owners and middlemen who were said to have charged lakhs of rupees to provide access to leaked material. The probe was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later.
The incident sparked widespread anger, protests, and legal actions. It also raised serious questions regarding the integrity of one of the nation’s most high-stakes examinations and led to a national re-examination of exam procedure.
Committed to rebuilding trust, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, promised tighter controls this year. “All preparation and logistical arrangements for conducting a safe and secure examination have been made,” the NTA stated in a May 3 statement.
It further stated that mock drills had already been carried out, and it cautioned candidates to “exercise caution against rumours and misleading information.” The agency also stated that it had acted against more than 165 Telegram channels and 32 Instagram accounts disseminating misinformation regarding the exam.
Barricades were put up at a number of centers in Dwarka, and roll number lists were pinned outside the school, guiding aspirants where to report. Policemen were deployed in groups, some outside the school compound.
When the gates finally opened at 5 pm, emotions spilled over — some students embraced their parents with smiles, others dabbed at tears. But all of them commented on the amount of scrutiny they had been put through.
Teena Kundara, 17, a student of School of Specialised Excellence in Dwarka Sector 10, explained how her Aadhaar card was verified twice — at the gate, and again before going into the classroom. “The exam began and ended on time. The paper was a little long, but otherwise everything was fine. They allowed me in despite some metal chains on my trousers, so they weren’t unnecessarily strict,” she said.
Nama Fatima, 17, from Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Mayur Vihar, also had her own to-do list to tick off. “We were not permitted to wear full sleeves, so I wore a half-sleeve pastel colored kurta and dupatta. We were instructed to tie hair back. There were police constables even within the school complex,” she explained, highlighting the atmosphere as “tense but disciplined”.
At another centre in Janakpuri, a 19-year-old student, who wished to remain anonymous, reported, “The minute I arrived, there were barricades and a line of uniformed officers. They frisked my ID, my pen — even my socks.”
Indeed, videos from centers in a number of states emerged on social media where students were having buttons taken off their shirts as part of the procedure — but also filming police officers helping by setting up alternative clothing or assisting students into compliant attire.
The NTA, in its release, stated that the coaching centres and online platforms would be kept under surveillance by authorities “to avoid organised cheating networks,” and question papers and OMR sheets would be moved under complete police escort to avoid tampering or leaks.With competition reaching a fever pitch — NEET UG registrations have topped 20 lakh for the third year running, reaching a high of 24.06 lakh in 2024 — the NTA also cautioned students and
parents against falling into the trap of fraudsters. Unscrupulous forces trying to exploit students by making false claims of medical seats… come under the purview of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act,” the agency added, cautioning against stern action for malpractice.
While standing quietly at the side of her parents — a housewife mother and private sector worker father — Pal declared that this was her second try and maybe her final. “I wanted to be a doctor since Grade 9. I hope all that I have learned come together today,” she whispered with a smile.
And as she, more than 22 lakh students across the country stood at that very threshold of hope, exhaustion, and anticipation in a system that, this year, they felt, left no space for compromise.