NTA finds Instagram and Telegram accounts claiming access to the NEET-UG exam paper
reports them to the MHA's Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center so that appropriate action can be taken.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has discovered Instagram and Telegram accounts “claiming to have access” to the question paper ahead of the NEET-UG exam on Sunday. The NTA has shared the information with the Home ministry’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) for further action.
NTA sources said the agency was responding to suggestions made by those who reported “suspicious claims” about the examination via an internet site it opened last weekend. Sixteen Instagram accounts and 106 Telegram accounts have been found to be “engaged in spreading misinformation and attempting to mislead students.”
The NTA has requested that Instagram and Telegram remove these channels right away and provide law authorities with the administrators’ information so they can conduct an investigation.
Through its web site, the NTA has received 1,500 reports of suspicious activities thus far. According to NTA sources, most of these reports are of Telegram accounts “pushing fake paper leak narratives”.
Users can report suspicious activity under three categories using the online portal on the NTA website, which was established on April 26. These include impersonators of NTA or government officials, unapproved websites or social media accounts claiming to have access to the NEET-UG question paper, and individuals claiming to have access to exam-related content. On May 4, the day of the test, users have until 5 p.m. to report any suspect claims.
As part of the steps the Ministry of Education and the NTA are doing this year to guarantee the success of the NEET-UG exam, the portal has been put up. Last year, the Center faced criticism for a NEET-UG paper leak. Question papers were taken from a Jharkhand center, solved, and distributed to candidates who paid for them, according to the investigation into the leak.
As a result, the exam this year is being administered with extreme caution. In addition to visits by District Magistrates and the police to exam centers to guarantee readiness, this year’s security procedure includes police escorts during the transportation of the question papers and OMR sheets. To oversee the exam’s security and logistics, district-level coordination committees led by the district magistrate have been established.
These actions follow the suggestions of a seven-member committee led by former ISRO Chairman Dr. K Radhakrishnan, which was established to make recommendations for the equitable and seamless administration of such public tests following the NEET-UG paper leak last year.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, which lays out penalties for violations of it, will be closely followed and implemented, according to Ministry of Education officials.
