Why NEET 2026 Was Cancelled | As NTA Sleeps - Paper Leak Mafia Goes On A Rampage | Akash Banerjee
Akash Banerjee delivers an impassioned critique of India's National Testing Agency (NTA) following the third leak of the NEET medical entrance exam (2021, 2024, 2026), affecting 22 lakh students. He argues that systemic corruption, lack of accountability, and weak punishment have made paper leaks the norm rather than the exception. He calls for digitization of exams, severe public punishment for culprits, and greater civic engagement from students and parents.
Summary
Akash Banerjee opens by explicitly setting aside political affiliations, framing the NEET paper leak crisis as a non-partisan issue that threatens the future of India's youth. He expresses frustration at NTA's press statement cancelling NEET 2026, calling it hypocritical — comparing it to a drunk driver crashing a car and then boasting about road safety responsibility. He emphasizes the human cost, noting that underprivileged and middle-class families mortgage gold to fund NEET preparation, making the casual rescheduling of the exam deeply unjust.
Banerjee reveals that NEET has been leaked not twice but three times — in 2021, 2024, and 2026 — a fact he says mainstream media has underreported. He details the mechanics of the 2026 leak: a 150-page PDF containing 410 questions circulated in WhatsApp groups, of which 130 appeared identically on the actual exam, including all 90 biology questions. The leak is traced to an MBBS student from Churu district, Rajasthan, studying in Kerala, who passed it through a chain of PGs, students, and counselors. He notes NTA was informed on May 7, agencies on May 8, and cancellation was discussed on May 12, but the original source and mastermind remain unidentified.
He contextualizes the 2026 leak within a broader pattern of exam fraud across India, citing approximately 50 documented paper leak instances in the last five years affecting 1.5 crore students, and suggesting the real number is far higher. Examples cited include REET 2021 in Rajasthan, UP Police Constable Recruitment 2024, 67th BPSC Combined Exam 2022, Vyapam in Madhya Pradesh, the West Bengal SSC recruitment scam, CBSE 2018, and JEE Main. He argues that leaks have migrated from minor regional exams to the most prestigious national examinations, signaling a systemic collapse.
Banerjee identifies two root causes: the paper-based examination system (which creates physical leak points from printing to distribution) and the near-total absence of meaningful punishment for perpetrators. He argues that because the financial reward is Rs 30-50 lakh per leak and jail time is virtually nonexistent — as demonstrated by the Supreme Court's limited response to 2024 — the incentive structure actively encourages repeat offenses. He calls for a shift to computerized, randomized exams (drawing parallels to EVM usage and Digital India) and advocates for public, exemplary punishment of guilty parties to serve as a deterrent.
He closes with a pointed critique of student and parental apathy, arguing that the culture of quietly clearing exams and emigrating abroad enables the rot to continue. He challenges NEET aspirants who consider themselves apolitical to recognize that systemic issues require civic engagement, and warns that without public pressure and accountability, brain drain will accelerate and the country's future will remain compromised.
About this episode
Support Our Work - Become a Deshbhakt Member & Get Exclusive Access || Membership Via https://www.patreon.com/thedeshbhakt or YT Join Button NEET UG 2026 has been cancelled after YET another massive paper leak.The future of 22 lakh aspirants have been thrown into uncertainty. What is most shocking is that this is not the first time (or the second) that the country’s biggest medical entrance exam has been compromised. 2021, 2024 and now again in 2026, every scandal was followed by promises of reform, stricter laws and new security systems, yet the leaks kept happening. Why? In this episode of The Deshbhakt we break down how the 2026 leak happened and why the reforms after 2024 completely failed. Who benefits from this giant education mafia and why are masterminds rarely punished? How deep does the paper leak Mafia - that runs across India’s exams and recruitment systems? And most importantly, can the country actually fix this broken structure or will students continue paying the price for institutional failure year after year? 🇮🇳 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS 🇮🇳 - https://www.youtube.com/thedeshbhakt ▶️ ⛔️ BECOME AN ANNUAL DESHBHAKT MEMBER - https://www.patreon.com/thedeshbhakt ⛔️ Unlock MEMBER ONLY: 1) Chats 2) Discord Server 3) Special Episodes OR Join this channel on You Tube to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTM_hPCeckqN3cPWtYZZcg/join 👕 DESHBHAKT MERCH - India's First Line of Socially & Politically aware tees 👕 https://kadakmerch.com/collections/thedeshbhakt 📧 BUSINESS ENQUIRIES - contact (at) thedeshbhakt (dot) in 📧 *** SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW US *** YouTube: - https://youtube.com/thedeshbhakt Twitter :- https://twitter.com/thedeshbhakt Instagram :- https://instagram.com/akashbanerjee.in Facebook :- https://www.facebook.com/akashbanerjee.in #neet #paperleak #nationaltestingagency
Key Insights
- Banerjee argues that NEET has been leaked three times — in 2021, 2024, and 2026 — not twice as widely reported, and claims an organization that allows the country's most premier medical entrance exam to be leaked thrice would face severe punishment in any other country.
- Banerjee contends that the 2026 leak likely originates at the question-framing level itself, not just during printing or distribution, because a 150-page PDF with 410 questions — 130 of which appeared identically on the exam — was circulating weeks before the test, defeating all GPS, biometric, and CCTV security measures installed post-2024.
- Banerjee claims that approximately 50 documented paper leak instances have occurred in India over the last five years, affecting the futures of 1.5 crore students, and argues this has become 'more the rule rather than an exception' rather than an isolated failure.
- Banerjee argues that the incentive structure itself drives repeat leaks: because perpetrators can earn Rs 30-50 lakh per leak and the Supreme Court's response to 2024 resulted in no jail time — only a retest for 1,500 students — anyone rational would take the chance.
- Banerjee challenges NEET students who identify as apolitical, arguing that their culture of quietly clearing exams and planning to leave the country enables systemic corruption, and links this to the broader brain drain crisis that even the government is now lamenting.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Usually on Deshbhakt when we try to cover social issues, international issues, political issues ...we try to be a little dispassionate. Stick to the facts, let the facts speak. But when news like NEET comes and when this kind of drama is seen And when this kind of carelessness is seen, So it becomes a little difficult to remain dispassionate. Before starting this episode of Deshbhakt, let me tell you Whatever your political inclination is, whoever you consider, whoever you like or hate [0:32] I don't care about that Because if you still don't understand that there are some things in our country that are above petty politics, Where everyone is guilty. And what's at stake? The future of…
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