Amid rising concerns over potential irregularities in NEET examination results, the Congress party has been accused of spreading and endorsing unverified claims made by NEET student Ayushi Patel from Lucknow. Patel alleged tampering with her OMR sheet, a claim that was amplified by several Congress leaders and state social media teams. Despite her history of questionable assertions, such as discovering a COVID-19 vaccine formula "in her mind" in 2020, her current claims have garnered significant attention.
(Image Source - India Today, India(dot)com and OpIndia Archive)
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress's Involvement
On June 10th, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared a video of Ayushi Patel without verifying her claims. This video was also circulated by the Kerala Congress unit, seemingly to criticize the newly elected NDA government.
In her video statement, Patel asserted that the National Testing Agency (NTA) emailed her, informing her that her Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheet was damaged. According to Patel, the email stated that her result could not be generated because her OMR sheet was found torn and damaged. She boldly alleged that her OMR sheet seemed to have been 'deliberately torn,' but mentioned that the answers she provided during the examination were visible on the damaged OMR sheet, amounting to 715 marks out of 720.
NTA's Response
With the assistance of her uncle, a legal professional, Patel responded to the correspondence from the NTA, which subsequently enabled them to examine her Optical Mark Recognition sheet. However, the National Testing Agency has firmly rejected Ayushi Patel's claims and accusations of tampering with her OMR sheet. The NTA has also denied sending any torn OMR answer sheet as alleged by Patel, stating that her accusations are baseless and unverified.
Ayushi Patel’s Comments
Ayushi said, “After hearing this, me and my family were shocked. My family saved me from depression. It looks as if the OMR has been deliberately torn. The bubbles (student’s responses to examination questions) are clearly visible and on matching them with the official answer key, my NEET score comes out to be 715 out of 720. We have filed a petition in the High Court which is slated to be heard on Tuesday. This was my third attempt. I scored 535 marks on my first attempt and 570 marks on the second attempt.”
Speaking with India Today, Ayushi Patel further alleged that her OMR sheet was tampered (with). She said, “Even if this is a scanned image, the thumbprint here is blue which is not possible. It should have been black so it’s clear my OMR has been manually tampered (with).” Her claims have been widely covered by mainstream media.
NTA’s Response
Taking to its official X handle, NTA stated, “Regarding the viral video featuring Ms. Ayushi Patel, claiming discrepancies in NEET (UG) 2024 scoring and receiving of the torn OMR Answer Sheet, NTA clarifies that no torn OMR Answer Sheet was sent via an official NTA ID. OMR Answer Sheet is intact and Scores are accurate as per official records.”
Is Instant Popularity Being Sought Over Serious NEET Irregularities?
While the situation unfolded, a number of individuals who had taken the NEET examination circulated Ms. Patel's results online. They alleged that she was taking advantage of the legitimate concerns held by NEET candidates in order to gain attention and publicity by falsely portraying herself as a victim. Additionally, numerous users criticized the Congress party for promoting misinformation and individuals who exploit genuine public concerns for self-serving purposes.
Critics accused Ayushi Patel of taking advantage of the NEET examination irregularities situation for personal gain, and called on others to avoid dragging hardworking students into political disputes or using exploitative strategies.
As a side note, Ayushi Patel, an aspirant for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), had previously faced allegations of making peculiar assertions, seemingly to attract media attention. Rewind four years, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she garnered headlines by claiming to have mentally conceived the "formula for a vaccine."
Vaccines are not mere "chemical formulas." They are intricate biotechnological products that require an elaborate process to develop. Researchers isolate an inactive component capable of provoking an immune response from the disease-causing pathogen. This immunogenic component undergoes extensive laboratory work to formulate it into an injectable or oral form suitable for administration. Rigorous research and development efforts spanning months or even years are necessary to ensure the vaccine remains stable during large-scale production, transportation, and administration processes. Only after comprehensive testing and evaluation can a vaccine be deemed safe for widespread distribution and immunization of the general population.
The announcement of the NEET UG 2024 results has sparked widespread controversy and debate, with allegations of irregularities and inflated scores. After the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) results were declared on June 4th, revealing that a staggering 67 students had achieved the perfect score of 720/720 marks, securing the coveted All-India Rank (AIR) 1 position, a significant number of medical aspirants and their parents raised concerns. These concerns encompassed potential glitches, alleged malpractices, ambiguous implementation of grace marks, and most notably, suspicions of a paper leak. It is noteworthy that this year's prestigious examination witnessed a massive participation of 23,33,297 candidates from across the nation.
Legitimate worries regarding anomalies in the NEET examination results have also made their way to the Supreme Court. While addressing this issue, the highest court of the land has demanded explanations from the testing agency, asserting that the integrity of NEET-UG 2024 has been compromised.
Why are Candidates dissatisfied with the NEET UG 2024 results
There are significant concerns about the integrity of the NEET UG 2024 results following reports of potential mark inflation and anomalies. An unprecedented 44 out of 67 students scored a perfect 720, with multiple candidates from the same exam center achieving top ranks, raising questions about the scoring process.
The situation has worsened with allegations of question paper leaks and cheating incidents in several states. In Bihar, 14 individuals were arrested for allegedly acting as proxy candidates, reportedly charging between ₹5-10 lakh each for this service. Investigations revealed brokers demanded ₹30-50 lakh for providing advance access to question papers.
Similar incidents were reported in Gujarat, where three people were arrested for allegedly assisting candidates in achieving high scores. In Delhi, a coaching center owner and two students were arrested for running a paper-solving racket, charging ₹25-30 lakh to arrange proxy test-takers.
Although the National Testing Agency initially denied these claims, the accumulating evidence and arrests have led to widespread dissatisfaction among students, who are demanding the results be canceled and a re-examination conducted to maintain the exam's credibility and fairness.
National Testing Agency issues clarification over inflation of marks and cut-offs, refutes paper leak claims
Amid growing outrage over the NEET UG 2024 results, the National Testing Agency (NTA) issued a statement to address the concerns. Responding to queries about the provision of grace marks and the number of beneficiaries, the NTA explained that grace marks were awarded to students who lost examination time, as verified through CCTV footage. These students received compensatory marks based on their answering efficiency and the amount of lost time. The statement revealed that 1,563 candidates were compensated, with their revised scores ranging from -20 to 720. Two candidates scored 718 and 719 due to these compensatory marks.
This decision to grant grace marks followed legal actions by several aspirants in the High Courts of Punjab and Haryana, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh, who reported time losses at exam centers.
The NTA noted that the number of candidates increased from 20,38,596 in 2023 to 23,33,297 in 2024, which they attributed to the rise in high scorers due to a larger candidate pool. However, they acknowledged that an increase of 3 lakh candidates does not entirely justify the significant inflation in ranks.
Besides compensatory marks for lost exam time, changes in the NCERT textbooks also contributed to increased marks for 44 out of 67 candidates who achieved perfect scores. Physics subject experts determined that due to differences in old and new NCERT editions, two options for a particular question should be considered correct. This is significant as aspirants heavily rely on NCERT books for NEET UG exam preparations.
The NTA addressed concerns about the increased cut-offs, stating that the higher cut-offs reflect the competitive nature of the exam and the high standards achieved by this year's candidates. The cut-offs for the unreserved category rose to 164 this year, compared to 137 in 2023, 117 in 2022, 138 in 2021, and 147 in 2020.
Despite the NTA's clarifications, many students and educators remain dissatisfied. They argue that time lost should have been compensated with additional time rather than grace marks. Additionally, there are questions about why the NTA announced the NEET UG 2024 results 10 days earlier than scheduled.
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