NEET Row: Man Arrested In Kolkata For Taking Money On Promise Of Place On NEET Merit List

NEET Controversy: The father of the student said that he had paid Rs 5 lakh of the Rs 12 lakh demanded by the accused for the arrangement.

Man held in Kolkata for taking money on promise of place on NEET merit list. (Representative Image) ( Image Source :PTI )

Kolkata: A Kolkata-based educational institute employee was arrested for allegedly accepting money from a student's parent, promising a spot on the NEET merit list, the police said on Wednesday. The accused also guaranteed the student admission to a medical college in Kolkata, news agency PTI quoted an senior officer as saying.

“Based on a complaint lodged with the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, we arrested the accused on Tuesday night. We are questioning him to find out whether he is involved in any racket or not,” the police officer told PTI.

Several allegations of irregularities have surfaced regarding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET, conducted by the National Testing Agency in May.

According to an officer, in his complaint, the father of the student stated that he had paid Rs 5 lakh of the Rs 12 lakh demanded by the accused for the arrangement.

The accused has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the officer confirmed.

Notably, the CBI is now investigating the alleged irregularities in the NEET UG exam. Earlier, the Education Ministry formed an expert panel for reforms in exams. The seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief R Radhakrishnan had its first meeting on Monday evening.

“The first priority for us is to elicit from the students and parents in the country their concerns and suggestions. We are going to engage with them as far as possible in person, or through electronic media. And in the next fortnight, we would like to consolidate this,” Radhakrishnan said.

“The next priority for us is to quickly build a robust system for starting the tests. We are also looking at the future, especially to develop in this country a robust system, a tamper-proof system, a system with zero error and a system that will lessen the difficulties and stress for the students with adequate flexibility built into it,” he added.