NEET UG 2026 Exam Cancelled: As soon as the NTA announced the cancellation of the NEET UG 2026 examination, protests spilled onto the streets of the national capital on Tuesday, with members of the National Students’ Union of India staging a demonstration outside Shastri Bhawan against the National Testing Agency over alleged paper leak concerns.
Holding banners and raising slogans, protestors accused the examination body of failing to maintain the integrity and fairness of one of India’s largest entrance examinations. The demonstration came shortly after the NTA officially announced the cancellation of the NEET UG 2026 examination conducted on May 3.
Security personnel were deployed outside Shastri Bhawan as students gathered in large numbers and shouted slogans demanding action against those responsible for the alleged lapses in the examination process.
NSUI demands accountability
During the protest, NSUI members alleged that repeated controversies linked to national-level entrance examinations were damaging students’ trust in the education system.
Student leaders demanded transparency from the NTA and called for strict accountability over the alleged irregularities. Protestors claimed that lakhs of students who spent months preparing for the medical entrance examination were now being forced to suffer due to administrative failures.
Several demonstrators also criticised the handling of competitive exams in recent years, saying repeated paper leak allegations were creating uncertainty and stress among aspirants.
Why was NEET UG 2026 cancelled?
NEET UG 2026 was cancelled after allegations surfaced that questions from a circulated “guess paper” closely matched the main examination held on May 3.
In its latest statement posted online, the NTA said the decision to cancel the exam was taken following inputs received from central agencies and investigative findings related to possible compromises in the examination process.
The agency stated that the examination “could not be allowed to stand” and announced that the exam would now be conducted again on fresh dates, which will be notified later.
The Government of India has also referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry.
Lakhs of students affected
NEET UG is one of the country’s biggest entrance examinations for undergraduate medical admissions. Nearly 22 lakh candidates reportedly appeared for the examination this year.
With the cancellation now confirmed, students across the country are facing uncertainty over revised examination dates, fresh preparation schedules, and admission timelines.
