Annamalai Slams Neet Military Grade Security Measures

K Annamalai, who recently quit the BJP, on Tuesday said the extensive security arrangements planned for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21 would only add to the exam pressure faced by students and could create new problems.

Expressing concern over the security measures being enforced for the examination, Annamalai took to X and criticised the approach adopted by the Centre. “While the government has taken measures to contain leaks, they have forgotten the additional burden they have imposed on a young student before they take up an assessment, one that they have spent months preparing for, dissolving the entire purpose of our exam system and the NEP 2020’s goal to reduce ‘Exam Stress’,” he said.

Annamalai listed the measures planned for the examination to prevent paper leaks.

He said the government has arranged for a two-tier CRPF and CISF escort with Indian Air Force airlift, four-layer CCTV surveillance with Artificial Intelligence monitoring, biometric and facial recognition checks before entry, multiple layers of frisking, and multi-level oversight with direct monitoring from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Yes, you read it right. But these are not arrangements to buy high-level, classified, military-grade software. These are the arrangements made by the Ministry of Education for the NEET retest scheduled for June 21, 2026,” he said on X.

He said students would appreciate efforts to prevent paper leaks through enhanced security and monitoring. However, he argued that increased scrutiny before entry, longer frisking procedures and the extension of exam duration from 180 minutes to 195 minutes would further increase exam pressure.

Despite these arrangements, Annamalai said, there were issues with downloading admit cards. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had assured students the problems would be resolved at the earliest.

“Yes, there are challenges that demand meaningful solutions. However, I am concerned that the approach devised for the NEET retest may not resolve the issue; instead, it risks creating a new set of problems,” he said.

The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21. The pen-and-paper examination will be conducted by the National Testing Agency from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Ahead of the re-examination, the Centre has sought deployment of a two-layer security cover involving personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for the transportation and handling of confidential examination material, including question papers and OMR answer sheets.

An official said the material will be transported from origin hubs in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad to around 551 hub cities across the country through a hub-and-spoke network using both air and road routes.

According to a statement issued by the NTA, “both measures have been taken in the interest of public order, in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026.”

Welcoming the action, the NTA said the directions were issued on its recommendation.

According to the NTA, the second measure addresses “the specific structural feature through which the platform has been used to fabricate after-the-event ‘paper leak’ evidence in respect of national examinations.”

The NEET (UG) 2026 examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses was conducted on May 3 and was later cancelled after allegations of irregularities surfaced.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested paper setters, translators and middlemen accused of passing examination material to candidates in exchange for large sums of money.

The examination, which was held on May 3 for more than 22 lakh candidates, was cancelled on May 12 following a paper leak. On May 15, the NTA announced that the re-examination would be held on June 21.

The CBI is investigating the leak and has arrested 13 people, including three paper setters.