29 May,2026 11:29 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday criticised the Centre over reports that the Indian Air Force (IAF) could be involved in transporting question papers for the NEET-UG re-examination, claiming that such a move would amount to an admission of governance failure.
The Rajya Sabha MP questioned why the armed forces should be required to step in for what he described as a failure of examination management by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Union Education Ministry.
In a post on social media platform X, Raut said the armed forces were meant to safeguard the country's borders and national security, not compensate for shortcomings in the administration of competitive examinations.
"This is a shameful admission of governance failure. After years of NEET paper leaks destroying the dreams of lakhs of students, the government now wants the Air Force to transport question papers," Raut said.
He alleged that instead of addressing the root causes behind repeated examination irregularities, the government was looking for temporary solutions.
According to Raut, stronger action against those responsible for paper leaks and systemic reforms would be more effective than deploying military resources for examination logistics.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the need for the Defence Ministry to become involved in arrangements related to conducting a national entrance examination.
"Why should the Defence Minister have to chair meetings with the Education Minister for basic exam logistics? This only exposes the incompetence of the NTA and the Education Ministry," Raut claimed.
He further argued that public confidence in the examination process could only be restored through accountability and institutional reforms rather than extraordinary measures.
Raut called for strict action against those responsible for examination paper leaks and demanded measures to ensure transparency in future recruitment and entrance tests.
"Students deserve real accountability," he said.
Raut's remarks came after reports that the Centre was considering using the Indian Air Force to transport NEET-UG question papers as part of efforts to ensure a secure and leak-proof re-examination process.
Official sources told PTI that the proposal was discussed during a high-level meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were also present at the meeting held in New Delhi.
Sources told PTI that the objective of the discussion was to explore additional security measures for the transportation and distribution of examination materials ahead of the retest.
However, officials clarified that no final decision has been taken so far.
According to sources, the proposal to involve the Air Force will be placed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for consideration before any decision is finalised, reported PTI.
The Centre is examining various options to ensure the secure conduct of the re-examination amid concerns raised by the recent paper leak controversy.
Authorities have maintained that safeguarding the integrity of the examination process remains a priority.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), commonly known as NEET-UG, was originally conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 overseas centres.
Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the examination, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admission to undergraduate medical courses.
On May 12, the NTA cancelled the examination following allegations of a question paper leak.
A fresh examination has been scheduled for June 21.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the paper leak case, has conducted searches at multiple locations across the country.
So far, 13 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar.
(With inputs from PTI)
