On Friday, two students scripted history, scoring perfect marks in the NEET 2020 exams. Odisha’s Soyeb Aftab scored 720 marks out of 720, cementing his place at the top of the all India merit list. Akanksha Singh was ranked second, with the same score.
And while congratulatory messages pour in, and many remain awed by their achievement, others have taken to social media platforms to discuss "NEET jihad". Now, to be fair, this hashtag is being used by two separate groups of people - those who believe that NEET jihad is a very real phenomenon, and those who are mocking the claims. Some have also taken to speculating about the fact that Sinha was not declared the topper, despite having the same marks.
According to officials, criterion such as subject wise marks and total number of incorrect answers as well as the age of the candidate become factors while defining ranks in case of a tie. In the case of Akanksha and Soyeb, with both having perfect scores, their age had become the deciding factor.
"NEET Jihad"? Topper Shoyeb Aftab scored a perfect (720/720), a first time it seems! Now what, NEET Jihad?" jibed one Twitter user. Others wondered if Sudarshan News' Suresh Chavhanke would have more information about the same. For the uninitiated, Chavhanke had, rather infamously, spoken out about 'UPSC Jihad' on his television channel, leading to a massive controversy as many sought to halt the broadcast. The matter had even reached the Supreme Court.
"Boycott NEET!" exclaimed another, adding several laughing emojis to his post.
And when film director Vivek Agnihotri wondered why only Soyeb Aftab had been declared the NEET topper, several users were prompt in their response that this was "NEET Jihad". We feel compelled to mention that while a large section of the comments are of a sarcastic nature, there are some truly angry people who are convinced that this is indeed some conspiracy. They are however a tad divided about who to blame for the same.
Take a look at some of the reactions:
