In a significant development in the NEET-UG paper leak case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a journalist in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district. The journalist, named Jamaluddin, works for a Hindi newspaper and has been held for allegedly assisting the principal and vice-principal of Oasis School, who were arrested on Friday.
According to the officials, Oasis School principal Ehsanul Haque and vice-principal Imtiaz Alam were arrested over their suspected role in the alleged paper leak. Alam was designated as the NTA’s observer and the center coordinator for Oasis School.
The principal was also the Hazaribagh district coordinator for the NEET exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5. The CBI is also questioning five more people from the district regarding the leak.
In a related development, the CBI teams are searching for some suspects at seven locations in Godhra, Kheda, Ahmedabad, and Anand in Gujarat. This is related to the FIR earlier, which was probed by the Godhra police.
The CBI had made its first arrest in the case on June 27 as part of its probe into the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam. According to the officials, two arrested accused from Patna, Ashutosh Kumar, and Manish Kumar, allegedly provided a location where some of those who appeared for the exam were given the leaked NEET question paper and answer keys.
The first CBI FIR was registered on June 23, a day after the education ministry announced it would hand over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the exam’s conduct to the central agency.
The NEET-UG row has triggered a political storm in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, with the opposition demanding an immediate discussion on the alleged irregularities and cancellations of competitive exams.
