The National Testing Agency (NTA) revised the examination centre for a NEET-UG 2026 candidate from Nagpur from Abu Dhabi to Nagpur, enabling him to sit for the medical entrance re-test on Sunday. The change came after widespread concern over the initial allotment, which was flagged on social media and raised by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Candidate's Ordeal and Family's Shock
The student reached PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ajni, Nagpur, to take the examination after receiving a fresh admit card on Saturday, according to news agency ANI. The controversy erupted when the candidate downloaded his admit card and discovered his examination centre was in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, just a day before the exam. The student's father expressed the family's shock, stating they had not opted for an overseas centre. "After the admit card was downloaded at 4 pm yesterday, we found the Centre mentioned to be a school in Abu Dhabi. We were really shocked as we had not given anything as such in our options," he said, as quoted by ANI.
NTA's Response and Revision of Centre
The family contacted the NTA helpline and was asked to send an email. Officials later assured them that a revised admit card would be issued. After verification, the NTA allotted the candidate a centre in Nagpur. The student's father expressed relief and gratitude: "Just 5 minutes ago, we received the fresh admit card with the exam centre in Nagpur. We are very thankful to the Agency for this prompt action. We are also thankful to the media for raising this issue." He added that the episode caused considerable stress to the student, who was initially reluctant to sit for the examination.
NTA's Clarification on Centre Change
While resolving the issue, the NTA issued a clarification on X, stating that its web-activity records indicated the city change was made through the candidate's own registered login during the open correction window, with a consistent single-user access pattern. However, the family disputed this claim, maintaining that their preferred cities were Nagpur, Bhandara, and Wardha.
Context of the NEET-UG 2026 Re-examination
The incident occurred as the NTA conducted the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on Sunday following the cancellation of the May 3 exam amid an ongoing probe into an alleged paper leak. The examination is being held at 5,440 centres across 551 Indian cities and 14 overseas locations. More than 95,000 examination rooms are equipped with CCTV surveillance, while 1.38 lakh cameras and over 51,000 jammers are deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the test.
