NEW DELHI: A political storm has erupted in Rajasthan over the alleged links of NEET paper leak accused Dinesh Biwal with BJP leaders, with the Congress accusing the ruling party of shielding those involved in the paper leak scandal, while the BJP has denied any association with the accused.Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra alleged that the arrests made by the CBI in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case point to a wider network that may have been operating for years. He claimed that several members of the Biwal family had secured admission to government medical colleges after allegedly gaining access to leaked question papers in previous years as well.Addressing a press conference, Dotasra alleged that five candidates related to arrested accused Dinesh Biwal and Mangilal Biwal had cleared NEET in 2025. He further claimed that a nephew of BJP MLA Mahendra Pal Meena from Jamwa Ramgarh was also among the successful candidates, raising questions about possible political connections.“The entire chain of the NEET paper leak must be probed fairly and comprehensively so that the network responsible for compromising the future of lakhs of students is exposed,” Dotasra said, demanding either a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe or an investigation monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge. He also sought the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.The controversy intensified after several social media accounts circulated photographs purportedly showing Dinesh Biwal with senior BJP leaders from Rajasthan. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that Biwal was associated with the BJP’s youth wing and accused the Rajasthan government of delaying action to “conceal” the links.Gehlot shared a poster on social media allegedly showing Biwal as a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha office-bearer in Jaipur Rural district. However, the BJP rejected the allegations and distanced itself from the accused.Rajasthan BJP president Madan Rathore said Biwal was not a BJP worker and accused Congress leaders of making baseless allegations. “In public life, people often click photographs with political leaders. That does not establish party membership,” Rathore said, adding that the BJP was not trying to protect anyone involved in the case.The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested five people in connection with the alleged paper leak — Dinesh Biwal, Mangilal Biwal and Vikas Biwal from Jaipur, Yash Yadav from Gurugram, and Shubham Khairnar from Nashik. A Jaipur court sent the accused to CBI custody till May 20.Cops suspect the Biwal family played a key role in the Rajasthan leg of the alleged racket. According to officials, Dinesh Biwal allegedly procured the leaked question paper from co-accused Yash Yadav between April 26 and 27 and later circulated it to multiple people, including his son, who was preparing for NEET-UG in Sikar.Sources said investigators are also examining whether the paper was further shared within coaching institute circles in Sikar, one of India’s major NEET coaching hubs. The probe reportedly began after a whistleblower from a coaching institute alerted authorities about suspicious activity.The CBI has also conducted searches at the Biwal family’s residence in Jamwa Ramgarh near Jaipur and is examining financial transactions, digital communication records and the possible involvement of other candidates.Meanwhile, opposition leaders continued to target the Centre over repeated examination controversies. Rajasthan Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully questioned why an FIR was not registered immediately after complaints surfaced and alleged that the delay was intended to avoid invoking Rajasthan’s stringent anti-paper leak law.Kirti Azad also attacked the BJP, alleging that individuals linked to saffron party were involved in the scam. He claimed repeated paper leak controversies had shattered the trust of lakhs of students and families.The NEET-UG 2026 examination, conducted on May 3 for admissions to undergraduate medical courses across the country, was cancelled earlier this week following allegations of a paper leak. The Centre subsequently handed over the investigation to the CBI for a comprehensive probe into the alleged irregularities.
