Over 20 Lakh Students Write NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Under Fortress-Like Security Across India

Seven weeks after India’s biggest medical entrance test collapsed under a paper leak scandal, more than two million students faced the re-examination on June 21 this time with IAF aircraft, 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras, biometric checks, and 700,000 personnel standing guard.

India’s Biggest Medical Retest Gets Underway

More than two million medical aspirants sat for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination on Sunday, June 21 making it one of the largest single-day entrance tests India has ever hosted. The high-stakes re-exam unfolded across 5,440 centres spread over 551 cities in India and 14 locations abroad, running from 2 pm to 5:15 pm. Candidates with disabilities got extra time and were allowed to write until 6:20 pm.

The National Testing Agency NTA described the effort as nothing short of a nationwide mobilisation. “More than 2 million aspirants. One exam,” the agency said, thanking students and the sprawling support apparatus behind the test.

Why the Original Exam Was Scrapped

The road to Sunday’s re-examination was rocky and deeply troubling for millions of families. The original NEET UG examination, held on May 3, drew over 2.27 million candidates. Nine days later, authorities cancelled it after investigators found damning overlaps between a leaked question paper and the actual exam. The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case on May 12, making several arrests including a Pune-based chemistry professor who allegedly had links to NTA processes, and a school headmistress who reportedly recalled exam questions from memory and shared them over a messaging app.

The leaked questions circulated on WhatsApp and Telegram especially in coaching hubs like Sikar, Rajasthan reportedly matching up to 140 questions from the actual paper. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan admitted a “breach in the command chain” a rare acknowledgement that jolted the entire testing establishment. The scandal sparked nationwide protests, Supreme Court petitions, and political demands for accountability.

A Security Operation Like No Other

Determined not to let another breach happen, the NTA rebuilt the entire examination architecture from scratch. The Indian Air Force deployed its heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster aircraft to airlift sealed question paper consignments to 18 strategic locations across the country a sight rarely seen in the context of a civilian examination. Question paper setters, translators, and moderators were secured at an undisclosed facility, cut off from digital devices and the outside world, until the test concluded.

On Saturday, the NTA ran a nationwide mock drill testing CCTV cameras, jammers, frisking stations, and biometric verification systems at every centre. A Centre Systems Officer watched real-time footage at each of the 5,440 centres, while over 100 virtual observers monitored live feeds centrally. The agency also deployed artificial intelligence tools to flag anomalies from CCTV footage creating a surveillance chain running from the centre level all the way up to the Ministry of Education.

In total, over 1,38,560 CCTV cameras, 51,311 jammers, 38,000 frisking personnel, and 48,000 biometric verification staff were deployed. Bank officials sat at around 1,500 branches holding confidential examination material. The Department of Posts coordinated teams at nearly 700 collection centres for OMR sheet logistics. Each examination room had two invigilators, backed by more than 10 additional functionaries per centre.

NTA Pledges a Fair Process And Faces Some Complaints

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, after reviewing preparations at a high-level meeting earlier in the week, urged candidates to appear without anxiety. “The examination will be conducted with the highest standards of transparency and efficiency,” he said.

NTA Director General Abhishek Singh confirmed after the exam concluded that no paper leak complaints had surfaced. “So far, we have not received any complaints regarding a question paper leak. NTA is working aggressively to ensure the integrity of the process. We are 100 per cent confident,” Singh told reporters. He added that results would arrive faster than usual the agency had compressed the entire exam cycle into a record 37 days.

Despite the extensive arrangements, students at several centres vented on social media about long queues, heat exposure, and overcrowding at entry gates. A candidate in Hyderabad told reporters, “It was hard as compared to the last exam. Biology was easy but Physics was on the harder side.” A student from Pune called the paper “formula-based” but acknowledged the security was far tighter than in May with metal detectors and intense frisking at every door.

States Step In With Extra Support

Several state governments went beyond standard arrangements to ease the day for students. Delhi’s government introduced free travel on DTC buses for all NEET candidates and set up cooling zones outside 97 examination centres offering water, ORS, tea, and first-aid to waiting parents. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, “Respecting the dreams of every student and the hopes of every parent is the responsibility of the government.”

In Mumbai, a bus strike by BEST forced the administration to arrange 60 additional MSRTC buses to ferry students to 63 examination centres preventing any major disruption. Rajasthan intelligence agencies questioned individuals previously linked to exam malpractices, while Madhya Pradesh deployed cyber commandos to scan social media. Uttar Pradesh set up a temporary control room for real-time monitoring. More than 10,000 persons with disabilities received special arrangements as did around 81 candidates with acute medical conditions, including one student recovering from a road accident and another undergoing chemotherapy.

What Comes Next for Two Million Aspirants

The NTA will soon release a provisional answer key on the official website neet.nta.nic.in allowing candidates to challenge any response they disagree with, at ₹200 per challenge. A panel of subject experts will review each objection, and the final answer key will be published before results are declared. The agency has promised a faster-than-usual result announcement, given the compressed 37-day timeline. With medical admissions on the line for lakhs of students, the countdown to results has now well and truly begun.