NEET-UG 2026 re-test amid tight security and strict scrutiny in MP

Bhopal, Jun 21 (PTI) NEET-UG 2026 re-test concluded peacefully at 283 examination centres across 30 districts of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday amid tight security and heightened vigilance by police and administrative authorities, officials said.

Emotional scenes and confusion prevailed at some centres after students arrived late and were denied entry.

Following the examination, some candidates described the biology paper as easy, while others found the physics section difficult.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3 following allegations of paper leaks, necessitating the re-test.

As many as 283 centres, including 32 in Bhopal, were set up in Madhya Pradesh. The administration put in place a multi-layered

security arrangement involving the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), district authorities and the NTA, officials said.

Candidates at several centres, including in Bhopal, underwent metal detector screening. Some students said they had to remove protective threads worn on their wrists, while some girls had to take off earrings before entering the examination halls.

Several candidates arrived at examination centres late for different reasons but were denied entry despite repeated requests, leading to emotional scenes involving students and their family members.

At Bhopal’s Subhash Excellence School, a student who claimed to have met with an accident on the way to the centre was denied entry after arriving late.

His uncle, Athar Ameer Qadri, told PTI Videos that their vehicle met with an accident while they were on their way to the examination centre, and his nephew sustained injuries.

“It took time to dress the injuries, and because of that, we reached the centre late. We requested repeatedly, but nobody was willing to listen,” he said.

The examination was held from 2 PM to 5:15 PM. As per NTA guidelines, entry gates were closed at 1.30 pm.

More than 13,700 candidates had registered for the re-test at 32 centres in Bhopal.

At Subhash Excellence School, Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 and some other centres in Bhopal, several candidates who arrived even a minute late were denied entry despite repeated appeals by them and their parents.

Some parents alleged that inadequate guidance outside the centres delayed identification of roll numbers and examination rooms.

In Chhatarpur and Satna districts, some aspirants reached incorrect examination centres and consequently missed the test.

In one such incident in Satna, family members alleged that a security personnel member wrongly directed them to another examination centre. By the time they returned to the original centre, they were denied entry for arriving late.

The family has lodged a complaint with local authorities.

After the examination, a candidate at a centre in Jabalpur told PTI Videos that this year’s paper was easier than the previous one and expressed hope of securing admission.

Another candidate at the same centre said the paper was difficult, particularly the physics section.

Earlier in the day, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, organised a havan (fire ritual) in Bhopal and prayed for the bright future of candidates and for a fair examination. PTI LAL NSK