June 29th 2024.
On Saturday, the CBI carried out searches at seven locations in Gujarat as part of their investigation into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam. They also arrested a journalist in Jharkhand for his alleged involvement in the case. According to officials, Jamaluddin Ansari, a journalist with a Hindi newspaper, was taken into custody for allegedly trying to assist the principal and vice principal of a school in Hazaribagh, who have already been arrested by the CBI in connection with the paper leak case.
In addition to Gujarat and Jharkhand, the CBI is also investigating a larger conspiracy involving other states such as Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi, and Jharkhand. As part of their investigation, the agency searched the premises of suspects in Anand, Kheda, Ahmedabad, and Godhra districts of Gujarat. Meanwhile, a special CBI court in Godhra granted the probe agency four-day custody of four suspects, including the principal and a teacher of Jay Jalaram School, who are accused of involvement in irregularities in the NEET-UG exam.
The CBI's investigation has revealed that the examination centers in Godhra and Kheda were controlled by the same school administration. According to sources, the accused allegedly arranged for candidates from other states to mark Godhra as their examination center and choose Gujarati as their language, in exchange for a hefty amount. "Investigation conducted thus far has shown that the accused, who were entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the exam fairly, were themselves involved in arranging candidates and helping them cheat in exchange for money," an official said.
The candidates arranged by the accused allegedly used addresses in Panchmahal and Vadodara in Gujarat, even though they were from other states. The CBI believes that there is a larger conspiracy at play, involving interstate links, in the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination. As part of their investigation, the agency plans to interrogate the four suspects in custody, as they possess crucial information that could help expose the broader conspiracy behind the manipulation of the NEET-UG exam.
The CBI has also informed the court that it is necessary to continue the investigation to unearth the larger conspiracy and bring those responsible to justice. They are also looking into the connections of the arrested persons in other states and their involvement in other FIRs filed by the CBI in this case. So far, the CBI has registered six FIRs, with one from Bihar related to paper leakage and others from Gujarat and Rajasthan related to impersonation and cheating.
The agency's own FIR, based on a reference from the Union Education Ministry, is looking into the overall irregularities in the medical entrance examination. NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to various medical courses in government and private institutions. This year, the exam was held on May 5 at numerous centers across the country and abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for it. The CBI's investigation is ongoing and they are determined to uncover the truth behind the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam.
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