'Simply disheartening': NEET cancellation triggers outrage among aspirants across country

The cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 has triggered nationwide outrage among aspirants, with students raising questions regarding competence of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and demanding that the medical entrance exam be conducted by AIIMS-Delhi.

The NTA on Tuesday cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2026 held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the "irregularities".

The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.

The cancellation of the annual test has left aspirants grappling with frustration and anxiety.

For 17-year-old Nikhil Kumar from Delhi's Chirag Dilli, the NTA's decision meant losing what he believed would have been a good score.

"My expected score was around 540, which would have given me a good chance. Now, we will have to reappear for the exam while trying to keep our preparation at its best," Kumar told PTI.

Another aspirant, Moumita Das from Kolkata, said the development was "simply disheartening" for both her and her parents.

"A lot of sacrifices go into preparing for an exam like NEET-UG. It takes years of discipline, not just for me but also for my parents. It is quite difficult to get back into the mindset to keep preparing when everything feels like it is falling apart," Das added.

Lamenting the cancellation of exam, a student from Dehradun said the NEET preparation involves "so many sleepless nights".

"It feels really bad. We worked so hard," the student told PTI.

In Shimla, Sonakshi Pandit, sister of a NEET aspirant, questioned the credibility of the NTA.

"Why should students suffer for incompetence of the NTA which failed to ensure secrecy of examination paper," Pandit, who is also preparing for NEET, said and demanded that the medical entrance exam be conducted by the AIIMS-Delhi.

"I have seen my brother working very hard for the past three years. He was expected to get 686 marks in NEET 2026 which implies that he could have been among the top three in Himachal Pradesh," she said.

Talking to the PTI Videos, she said that "we are disheartened after the examination was cancelled. Some students appeared for the third or fourth time, just imagine their plight and mental stress," she said.

In 2024 too, the NEET paper was leaked but it seems the NTA did not learn any lesson from that incident, Pandit said.

Another Shimla student Medayansh, who appeared in NEET 2026, said, "The students are stressed. The examination should be re-conducted only in areas where the paper was leaked.

Meanwhile, a massive protest organised by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) broke out outside the Shastri Bhawan in the national capital on Tuesday against the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG.

Several members of the Congress party's student wing were seen participating in the protest, while holding placards that read 'PM compromised, paper compromised', 'paper leak, Modi sarkar weak', and 'doctor ki degree bikau hain' (doctor's degree is for sale).

In a statement on X, the NTA said the decision was taken in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system.

"On the basis of inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies, the National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 3 May 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately," the agency said.

The NEET-UG 2026 was held on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.

The examination was organised by the NTA for nearly 23 lakh registered candidates at centres across the country.