NTA dismisses video claiming paper leak as 'fake', says NEET re-exam successfully held

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday termed as fake a video being circulated on social media claiming that the NEET-UG 2026 paper was leaked.

In a statement on X, the agency said the exam was conducted successfully under comprehensive security and surveillance.

"NTA's attention has been drawn to a fabricated video being circulated on social media regarding NEET (UG) 2026. The video is fake and the claims it makes are false," the statement said.

The agency said manufacturing and deliberately circulating such misinformation to defraud or alarm students was a "serious offence." "NTA, with the support of I4C and law-enforcement agencies, is taking action against those responsible for originating this content," the agency said.

The NTA appealed to students, parents and the public to rely only on the official website and the agency's verified social media handles for information and not to amplify such material.

More than 20 lakh medical aspirants took a second shot at the NEET re-exam on Sunday after the original test was cancelled due to paper leaks, an issue that became a hot potato for the government and triggered a popular protest movement.

Abhishek Singh, the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which has been receiving flak following the paper leak, said a "whole-of-government" approach helped it to conduct the mammoth exercise in record time.

In a statement, NTA said more than 20 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. The exam was conducted in 13 languages, including Hindi and English.

"This was not the NTA acting alone. It was Team Bharat - a chain of people across the country who showed up so that, for each candidate, the only thing that mattered that morning was the paper in front of them," the agency said.

"In all, around 7 lakh officials - police teams, observers and examination staff - were mobilised across India to conduct this examination, and it was done in a record 37 days. NTA is especially grateful to the experts from academic institutions across the country who gave their personal time to help prepare multiple sets of question papers," the NTA said.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reviewed arrangements for the smooth conduct of the re-examination at the NTA headquarters in Delhi's Okhla.

"NTA apprised the minister of the logistical and technical arrangements put in place for the efficient and transparent conduct of the examination," the Ministry of Education said.