NEET centre row explodes: Govt hits back at Rahul Gandhi over abu dhabi exam claim

A fresh controversy surrounding the NEET-UG re-examination has sparked political heat after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the National Testing Agency (NTA) over an exam centre allocation issue involving a student from Nagpur.

The row erupted after a NEET aspirant, identified as Abdullah Mohammad Talib from Nagpur, reportedly found that his admit card for the June 21 re-test listed his examination centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE — thousands of kilometres away from his hometown.

The incident quickly drew attention on social media, with Rahul Gandhi slamming the NTA and accusing it of putting immense stress on students and their families.

In a strongly worded post, Gandhi questioned how a student with no passport, no financial means to travel abroad, and limited time could be expected to take an exam overseas. He called it another example of what he described as a flawed examination system.

“The NTA is testing the patience of students and parents,” Gandhi remarked, arguing that an agency unable to provide a centre in a candidate’s own city should not be entrusted with conducting national-level exams.

However, government sources have now pushed back sharply against those claims.

According to officials, the Abu Dhabi exam city was allegedly selected through the candidate’s own registered login credentials. Internal records reportedly showed a consistent access pattern from a single user, with the overseas centre being changed once and previewed twice before final submission.

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Government insiders accused Rahul Gandhi of reacting too quickly without verifying the facts, saying his statements created unnecessary panic among lakhs of NEET aspirants just days before the re-test.

Sources further said that after the family informally approached authorities on June 19, the NTA moved swiftly to address the matter. Officials contacted the candidate’s father and immediately initiated steps to shift the examination centre back to Nagpur.

The National Testing Agency later issued a public clarification, confirming that the grievance was under review and assuring that a corrected admit card with a Nagpur centre would be provided after verification.

The controversy comes at a sensitive time for the NTA, which is already under intense scrutiny following the recent NEET paper leak allegations and widespread irregularities in the original examination.

The agency had ordered a re-examination for affected candidates in an effort to restore fairness and credibility.

But incidents like this continue to raise concerns over operational efficiency and transparency, while political leaders and students alike remain watchful.

With the NEET re-test just around the corner, the focus now shifts to whether the NTA can conduct the exam smoothly and rebuild trust among India’s medical aspirants.