Air Force ferrying NEET question papers by aircraft

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed aircraft and helicopters to airlift question papers for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination across the country as part of enhanced security arrangements ahead of the test scheduled to be held on June 21.

Following the cancellation of the previous NEET-UG exam following allegations of large-scale paper leak, the operation was launched to ensure safe and timely delivery of confidential exam materials.

According to official sources, transportation of question papers started on June 16 and will continue until June 17. Papers are transported to more than 20 destinations across the country using IAF transport aircraft and Mi-17 helicopters are used to advance to remote and hard-to-reach areas.

Question papers were delivered to several northern states on Tuesday, while rehearsals were held in selected places in south India to verify security and logistics arrangements, a senior official confirmed.

As part of the preparations, a trial landing of an Air Force helicopter was carried out at Tirunelveli Armed Reserve Range in Tamil Nadu, the official added.

The confidential packages are transported under strict security protocols and upon reaching their destination, they will be distributed to designated examination centers under close supervision.

CRPF and CISF personnel have been deployed to ensure security of the transport chain at every stage. The Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Post Office and State governments are all coordinated under a framework overseen by the Ministry of Education.

The deployment of military assets comes as the government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) implemented a multi-layered security framework to ensure the integrity of one of India’s largest competitive exams.

Additional precautions have been taken, including strict isolation of paper setters, enhanced monitoring mechanisms, real-time tracking of question paper movement and coordinated deployment of security at examination centres, officials said.

The NEET-UG re-examination will be conducted with increased caution and around five lakh security personnel are expected to be involved in ensuring security and smooth conduct of the exam across the country.

The NEET-UG 2026 exam, which was initially held on May 3 for over 22 million candidates, was canceled by NTA on May 12 following allegations of organized paper leak and interference by suspected insiders. The re-examination on June 21 is being held with unprecedented security measures aimed at restoring confidence in the examination process.