The controversy surrounding NEET UG 2026 has been doing the rounds for three months, evolving from allegations surrounding the conduct of the examination to one of the biggest student-led protests in recent years.
The controversy began with complaints, followed by a series of events including a paper leak, a re-exam, and finally reaching extreme protests in the capital of the country.
Here’s a timeline of the key events—from exam day to the latest protest that led to a lathi charge and finally PM Modi’s statement.
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May 3: NEET UG exam conducted
The National Testing Agency, NTA conducted the NEET UG examination. The exam was conducted for 22 lakh candidates in a single shift- from 2 pm to 5 pm.
Within hours of the exam, allegations of a question paper leak surfaced on social media. Many students, parents and coaching institutes claimed that some portions of the question paper were leaked the night before the exam.
May 12: NTA cancels NEET eam
Soon after the reports of a paper leak, protests erupted in Delhi. The Agency finally cancelled the May 3 examination and announced that a re-exam will be held soon.
Centre handed over the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation.
The Agency during that time clarified that the registration data, candidature details, and examination centres chosen by candidates for the May 2026 cycle would be carried forward for the re-exam.
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Mid May: Student protest starts
National Students’ Union of India staged demonstrations outside Shastri Bhawan in New Delhi over alleged paper leak concerns. The students’ union accused the Agency of failing to ensure the integrity of one of India’s largest entrance examinations. They demanded transparency and accountability from the NTA.
June 21: NTA conducted NEET re-exam
NTA conducted NEET UG re-examination on June 21, 2026. The exam was held in a single shift from 2 pm to 5.15 pm amid enhanced security arrangements. The centre used Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to transport question papers as part of the enhanced security plan, replacing the conventional road-based distribution system. The exam was held at 5435 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 centres abroad.
July 16: NEET UG re-exam result out
National Testing Agency, NTA, announced the re-exam results late at night. A total of 11.21 lakh candidates qualified the NTA NEET re-exam. A total of 138 candidates were included in the toppers list for scoring equal to or more than 690 marks. Of these: Over 93 per cent appeared for NEET (UG) for the first time and 99 per cent were between 17 and 19 years of age.
Aryan Gupta topped the medical entrance exam by securing AIR 1, and Kundale Shravani Krishna secured rank 5 and is the female topper.
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June-July: Protest movement expanded
The re-eam, result announcement did not subside the protest movement that was running in parallel. Activist Sonam Wangchuk went on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan.
Demonstrations continued at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with protesters demanding transparency in the investigation of the paper leak, accountability for those responsible, among others.
Results triggered fresh protests
After the declaration of the NEET UG results, several students who appeared for the exam took to social media to allege discrepancies between their self-evaluated scores and the official results released by the Agency. Some students shared specific examples of the wide gaps between their projected marks and their final report cards.
Lucknow’s Pratibha Trivedi said she expected around 640 marks after matching her OMR sheet with the provisional answer key but was awarded 38 marks. “My complaint is genuine. I have mailed NTA three times but have not received any response”.
July 20: ‘Sansad Chalo’ march
Cockroach Janta Party announced ‘Sansad Chalo’ march in mid-July. On July 20, thousands of students and supporters attempted to march towards Parliament demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET exam paper leak.
Police stopped the procession, leading to detentions and clashes in parts of the capital. More than 170 people, including police personnel and protesters, were injured in the clashes.
July 21: PM speaks about NEET paper leak
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was addressing the meeting of the NDA parliamentary party, talked about the NEET issue for the first time. “He said the people who have been arrested will be given the harshest punishment… but students should be made aware of the conspiracies by the opposition,” said a person aware of the details.
