A student from Nagpur, Maharashtra, was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi for Sunday's NEET UG 2026 re-examination by the National Testing Agency (NTA), prompting his parents to raise the issue and seek a correction.
Incident Details
The student, Abdulla Talib, had given preference to Nagpur, Wardha, and Bhandara centres for the examination. However, when he received his examination card issued by the NTA, he was shocked to find that he was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, his father, Dr Mohammed Talib, told a news channel.
The student's parents raised the issue with the NTA, which assured them of allotting a new examination centre.
Context of the Re-examination
The mix-up came to light on a day when a nationwide mock drill was under way across the country on Saturday ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination as part of efforts to ensure smooth, secure, and transparent conduct of the medical entrance test.
The re-examination will be conducted on June 21 from 2 pm to 5.15 pm in pen-and-paper mode across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad for more than 22.79 lakh candidates. The initial exam was cancelled amid allegations of a paper leak, and the case was handed over to the CBI.
Reactions
Congress leader and former Maharashtra education minister Anees Ahmed said such goof-ups put pressure on students who are already stressed due to the exam. “However, the government machinery is not improving. Don’t play with the career of students,” he added.
