NEET-UG retest peaceful across NE; sacred thread row in Nalbari centre, exam unaffected

Guwahati: The NEET-UG re-examination was conducted smoothly across the northeast on Sunday, with students turning up in large numbers at most centres and displaying determination despite recent controversies surrounding the exam.

The retest was held at centres ranging from major urban locations in Assam to the conflict-affected hill district of Churachandpur in Manipur.In Guwahati, authorities enforced stringent security measures at examination centres. Police personnel were deployed from Saturday evening, and security arrangements remained in place from the early hours of Sunday. Mobile jammers were installed, and prohibitory orders were imposed in and around the exam venues.According to sources, military and central security force personnel accompanied district administration and police officials while transporting question papers from bank strong rooms to examination centres. After the examination concluded, answer sheets were securely returned to the strong rooms before being dispatched to evaluation centres.“NEET-UG re-examination was conducted smoothly across Assam.

There is no report of any untoward incident so far,” said Assam director of medical education Manoj Choudhury.Candidates underwent double-layer security screening at centres throughout Assam. Sources said centre superintendents in Guwahati were instructed to report to their respective venues by 7:30 am to oversee preparations.At a centre in Nalbari, lower Assam, a student, Prasurjya Bharadwaj, was asked to remove his sacred thread during frisking.

Although his parents expressed concern over the incident, no disruption occurred.“We changed his sacred thread before the exam and removed the ring from it, as ornaments cannot be carried inside the exam centre. Still, during the security check, those conducting the frisking removed the thread and handed it over to us. Our son felt nervous,” said his mother, Runumi Bhagawati, adding that there was no instruction regarding religious items such as the sacred thread worn by Brahmins.The Assam govt arranged free transportation for examinees through Assam State Transport Corporation buses. However, most candidates preferred to travel in private vehicles and arrived at their centres one to two hours before the examination began.The re-examination was conducted at 87 centres across 17 districts of Assam. District magistrates and senior superintendents of police closely monitored arrangements to ensure a smooth and secure process.More than 43,000 candidates were registered for the examination in Assam. While attendance was reportedly strong in Guwahati, several districts recorded absences ranging from 50 to 100 students at some centres.Across the northeast, the re-examination proceeded without major incidents, according to initial reports. Special attention was given to Manipur’s violence-affected Churachandpur district, where the test was held under heightened security. In Imphal, students appeared for the examination with optimism despite the disappointment and uncertainty caused by the earlier question paper leak controversy.