How a chemistry teacher’s late-night investigation into a viral PDF exposed the NEET UG paper leak
The teacher, who has been coaching NEET aspirants in Sikar for 13 years, said he first came across the PDF around 6 pm on May 3, after returning to his rented accommodation. “My landlord said to me, ‘Sir, there are some PDFs floating around.’ I checked and was horrified,” he said.
To him, the questions in the PDF felt immediately familiar.
“Red flags came up when I matched the chemistry questions in the PDF to the actual paper,” he said. “The questions were extremely full. Then I asked my host to check if there were biology questions too. Apparently there were biology questions too.”
Questions checked throughout the night
The teacher said rumors were common in coaching centers during the exam season, but this time he decided to carefully verify the claims. He contacted a colleague from the biology faculty and they both started matching the leaked PDF with the NEET question paper.
They checked the questions and answers one by one throughout the night.
“The paper was leaked, I knew it,” he said. The teacher said that he went to the police station around 12.30 on May 4 to file a complaint. He was advised to return only after collecting all the supporting material.
“There may have been loose ends, so I returned from the police station and continued reviewing the material,” he said.
Back in his room, he continued comparing screenshots, question sequences, and answer patterns. He had emailed NTA on the evening of May 6 and informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“As of May 7, I started receiving responses from NTA. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also contacted me,” he said.
NTA cancels NEET-UG 2026 on May 12
On May 12, NTA canceled NEET-UG 2026 following allegations of paper leak and malpractice linked to the exam held on May 3.
More than 22 lakh students appeared for the medical entrance exam across the country.
The teacher said he understands that speaking out will affect students who have spent years preparing for the exam, but believes remaining silent is not an option.
“I knew that the dreams of thousands of students who spent two to three years preparing for NEET-UG would be dashed,” he said. “They spent all nights studying and compromised their mental and physical health for this exam. I couldn’t sit quietly.”
Teacher Sikar defends coaching system
The controversy has also drawn attention to Sikar, which has emerged as a major coaching center for engineering and medical entrance exams.
The teacher rejected suggestions that Sikar’s strong NEET results in recent years were linked to unfair practices.
“Over the years, Sikar has developed an excellent education system, good teaching staff, disciplined preparation systems and strong coaching centres. It is wrong to blame Sikar,” he said.
He also said that the success of students in the city should not be viewed with suspicion.
“Some people suggest that since Sikar has performed so well in recent years, there must be something fishy behind it. This is not fair. Sikar has proven his mettle through his hard-working students and teachers,” he said.
