Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accepted personal responsibility for the tragic suicides of over ten NEET-UG aspirants following the paper leak.
Pradhan strongly criticised NTA-appointed teachers PV Kulkarni, Manisha Mandhare, and Manisha Havaldar, calling them predators who leaked the exam papers.
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested 13 individuals in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak crisis.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has taken responsibility for recent student suicides and blamed teachers appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. Pradhan addressed the crisis on Tuesday.
He admitted systemic failures caused the crisis. "Rakshak hi bhakshak ban gaye (the protectors themselves turned predators)," Pradhan told NDTV.
More than 2 million medical aspirants took the NEET-UG re-examination on Sunday. Authorities held the nationwide test under tight security measures.
Teachers Behind Leak
Investigators identified three teachers as the primary architects behind the compromised subject papers. PV Kulkarni allegedly leaked the chemistry paper, while authorities named Manisha Mandhare and Manisha Havaldar as the main figures behind the biology and physics leaks, respectively.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested 13 people in connection with the breach.
Pradhan condemned the educators involved. "NTA had placed its trust in certain teachers, but some of them did not fulfil their responsibility," he told NDTV.
Suicides and Politics
Exam stress proved fatal for many candidates. More than 10 students died by suicide in recent weeks following the paper leak controversy and the pressure of an impending re-test.
Pradhan said he held himself accountable for the deaths, but he accused the Congress party and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of politicising the tragedy.
"As Education Minister, I curse myself every time there is a student suicide. We have to fix the broken system. But the way Congress and Rahul Gandhi used student suicides is low-level politics," Pradhan told the media outlet.
Timeline of Crisis
The crisis unfolded over two weeks. The original NEET-UG exam took place on May 3, 2026. On May 8, an email alerted the agency to similarities between a circulated guess paper and the actual test.
The NTA cancelled the May 3 exam on May 12 and announced the re-test on May 15.
Pradhan defended the integrity of the re-examination process. "The meritorious students of our country have done well, and they are going to score good marks," he said.
