NEET Re-Exam: Over 22 Lakh Students Appear Amid Unprecedented Security

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate (UG) 2026 re-examination was a high-stakes event for over 22 lakh aspiring medical professionals across India. Conducted on June 21, 2026, the examination took place across 5,440 centres in 551 Indian cities and 14 cities abroad, ensuring a wide reach for the rescheduled test. This re-examination was necessitated by the cancellation of the original NEET UG 2026 exam, initially held on May 3, 2026, due to widespread allegations of paper leaks and examination irregularities. The gravity of these allegations led the National Testing Agency (NTA), with the approval of the Government of India, to order a comprehensive re-test to uphold the integrity and fairness of the medical entrance examination. The NTA implemented unprecedented security measures to ensure a transparent and malpractice-free examination. These included multi-layer security arrangements at all centres, with rigorous frisking using metal detectors and mandatory biometric verification (fingerprint or facial recognition) for all candidates.. Advanced technology played a crucial role, with 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras installed across examination rooms, entry points, and control rooms, all monitored virtually at national, state, and ministry levels.. Furthermore, 51,311 jammers were deployed to prevent electronic malpractice.. The transportation of question papers also saw significant enhancement, with the Indian Air Force being used for the first time to transport confidential papers, alongside GPS tracking and government-controlled logistics management.. To combat misinformation and rumours, temporary restrictions were placed on platforms like Telegram, and authorities actively monitored suspicious online activities.. The NTA also introduced student-friendly measures, extending the examination duration by 15 minutes to 195 minutes and providing four rough work pages instead of two, with two pages now placed at the beginning of the question booklet for greater convenience.. The original NEET UG 2026 exam, which had seen 22.76 lakh registrations in 2025, was cancelled on May 12, 2026, following investigations by agencies like the CBI and the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a "guess paper" with 140 questions matching the actual exam.. The re-examination saw a registration of over 22.79 lakh candidates. However, attendance for the re-exam was recorded at 87.72%, with nearly 2.8 lakh candidates absent, the highest absentee count in recent years.. The results of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination were declared on July 16, 2026, with over 11.21 lakh candidates qualifying for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH, and allied programmes.. The timely declaration of results was crucial for keeping the medical admission and counselling calendar on track. The entire process from the re-exam date (June 21) to the result declaration (July 16) was completed in 26 days, showcasing NTA's efficiency in managing the compressed timeline.. The NTA has also warned against the submission of fake or AI-generated OMR sheets following the result declaration, indicating ongoing vigilance against malpractices.. The NDTV article that served as the basis for this verification reported these key figures and events, accurately reflecting the scale and security arrangements of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination. The news category is primarily education and national news, specific to India.

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