Nagpur student gets Abu Dhabi centre for re-exam; NTA says it was chosen by him
NEW DELHI, June 20: Ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged the government to ensure there are no “glitches” and “irregularities” this time, saying the students have been “through enough stress and cannot afford to go through it again”.
Gandhi posted a video on X in which he wished everyone taking the re-NEET exam on Sunday.
“I hope you have a wonderful, excellent exam and you all do really, really well. Remember, we are with you, we want to look after you, protect you and make sure that you have a brilliant future. Love all of you,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
“To the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and to the government, I would like to say, please, please, please, ensure that there are no glitches this time. The students have been through enough stress and they and they really cannot afford to go through it again,” Gandhi said.
In his post accompanying the video, Gandhi extended best wishes to all the students appearing for the re-NEET exam.
Students have already endured a great deal of stress’no student’s hopes should be shattered now, Gandhi said.
A nationwide mock drill was underway across the country on Saturday ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination as part of the efforts to ensure smooth, secure and transparent conduct of the medical entrance test, officials said.
Security has also been tightened at the National Testing Agency (NTA) office in the national capital.
More than 22.79 lakh medical aspirants will appear for the re-examination on Sunday, nearly seven weeks after the original test was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak that triggered nationwide outrage, political sparring and legal challenges.
The re-examination will be held from 2 to 5.15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Candidates with disabilities (PwD/PwBD) eligible for compensatory time will be allowed to write the examination till 6.20 pm.
Candidates have been asked to report to their examination centres between 11 am and 1.30 pm.
“Entry gates will close sharp at 1.30 pm, and no candidate will be permitted entry thereafter under any circumstance,” the agency said.
The NTA said it is fully prepared for the re-examination with district administrations, police forces and escort teams tasked with securely transporting confidential materials.
ADMIT CARD ISSUE
Responding to the issue of allotment of a centre in Abu Dhabi to a candidate from Nagpur, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday said the city change request was made through the candidate’s own registered login during the open correction window and it had later acted on his request to change the centre.
Following the rescheduling of NEET (UG) 2026 to June 21, the examination-city correction window was reopened to assist candidates, the agency said.
“Around 3.2 lakh candidates used the correction window, and NTA allotted the preferred examination city to over 99.5 per cent of them,” it said in a post on X.On the “Abu Dhabi” query, the NTA said its web-activity records indicate that the city change in the case was made through the candidate’s own registered login during the open correction window, with a consistent single-user access pattern.
The agency said that despite the Abu Dhabi centre being chosen by the candidate, it received an informal request on the evening of June 19, just 48 hours before the exam, to change the centre to Nagpur.
“NTA personnel immediately initiated the change and contacted the candidate’s father on June 19 evening itself to help them complete the formal process,” it said.
“NTA has observed that on 3 occasions, one – the centre was changed to Abu Dhabi using candidate’s credentials and twice it was previewed that the centre is Abu Dhabi, the agency said.
Calling it a “student-first” approach, the agency said its priority is that no candidate misses the examination over an administrative doubt.Abdulla Talib from Nagpur was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, prompting his parents to raise the issue with the NTA and seek a correction.
Talib had given preference to Nagpur, Wardha, and Bhandara centres for the examination.However, when he received his examination card issued by the NTA, he was shocked to find that he was allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, his father, Dr Mohammed Talib, told a news channel. (PTI)
