In Bihar, the recent National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET UG) has been mired in controversy following allegations of paper leak and the arrest of several individuals linked to the scam. The incident has highlighted systemic weaknesses within the examination process, raising questions about integrity and oversight.
Charges and arrests
There were widespread protests and allegations in Bihar and other states over the leaked question papers in the NEET UG exam held on May 5.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took up the probe into the case on the directions of the Union Education Ministry, indicating the gravity of the allegations.
According to reports by Times News Network (TNN) and Press Trust of India (PTI), the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police has made significant progress in the case. They arrested a total of nineteen persons including the prime suspects involved in the alleged paper leak. Those arrested include Paramjit Singh alias Bittu, Baldev Kumar alias Chintu, Prashant Kumar alias Kaju, Ajit Kumar, Rajiv Kumar alias Karu and Pinku Kumar from Deoghar in Jharkhand. These arrests unearthed a complex network of fraud spread across several states.
Also read: CBI takes over NEET-UG paper leak probe from Bihar Police
Speaking to TNN, a top official said, “The gang had been planning this for several months and a professor from Hazaribagh sent the question papers to Sanjeev via WhatsApp. Later, the paper was solved with the help of medical students from Patna and Ranchi.” After being solved, it was sent to Chintu of Karai Parsurai along with the answers. The investigating agency is now trying to trace the professor. On Chintu’s instructions, Pintu of Hilsa in Nalanda made photocopies of the question papers and on May 5, gave them to around 30 candidates staying at the ‘safe house’, now identified as a closed play school in Khemnichak area of Patna.
The role of the mysterious professor
The focus of the investigation is the identity and role of a mysterious professor who is allegedly involved in circulating the NEET UG question papers. Preliminary investigations have pointed to Sanjeev Mukhiya, also known as Sanjiv ‘Mukhia’, as the possible mastermind behind the paper leak racket. Reports suggest that Mukhiya, a former technical assistant at Nalanda’s Nursarai Horticulture College, had planned to circulate the exam papers via WhatsApp. He allegedly received the papers from a professor in Hazaribagh and coordinated with his associates in Patna and Ranchi for their distribution.
Who is Sanjeev Mukhiya?
Sanjeev Mukhiya, also known as Loota, is a technical assistant at Noorsarai Horticulture College in Nalanda and is believed to be the mastermind behind the NEET-UG paper leak. Mukhiya’s involvement in the paper leak racket came to light through investigations by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and Patna police, which revealed his and his son Dr Shiv Kumar alias Bittu’s role in the scam. Mukhiya could not be found in a raid conducted at his residence in Nagarnausa block of Nalanda district. Notably, his son is currently under arrest in connection with the alleged BPSC TRE 3.0 question paper leak. Before setting up his own criminal network, Mukhiya was associated with Bihar’s notorious education mafia Ranjit Don. His wife Mamta Devi is active in politics and contested the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 on a Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJNSP) ticket from Harnaut seat.
Also read: Centre’s anti-paper leak law comes into effect amid NEET and NET scam; examines offences and penalties
Sanjeev Mukhiya and his son Bittu have a history of cheating in exams. Mukhiya was arrested last year as a conspirator in the TRE paper leak case. Bittu, along with his father, was involved in leaking the NEET question paper from Patrakar Nagar in Patna in 2017. Their criminal activities are also linked to Dr Shubham Mandal, the mastermind of the recent UP constable exam paper leak. Investigation revealed that Bittu’s gang, originating from Balwa Shahpur in Nagarnausa police station area of Nalanda district, played a key role in leaking the NEET paper.
Sikandar Yadavendu: Another prominent name in the NEET UG controversy
Yadvendu, allegedly responsible for illegally distributing the exam question papers, is one of the main accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case. He was arrested on May 5. The 56-year-old man, who worked as a junior engineer in the Danapur Municipal Corporation, hails from a farmer family. He used to work as a small contractor till 2012. He has a diploma in engineering and has worked as a contractor for over a decade. Yadvendu lives in a rented flat in Rupaspur, Danapur, Patna.
Yadvendu’s family owns around eight bighas of land in Samastipur, Bihar. After completing his 10th standard in the 1980s, he moved to Ranchi for further studies and earned a diploma. In 2012, during the NDA rule in Bihar, he got a job as a junior engineer in the state’s water resources department. In 2016, he was implicated in a Rs 2.92 crore LED scam in Rohtas and was later released on bail. In 2021, he used his connections to get a transfer to the urban development and housing department, securing a position in the Danapur Municipal Council, where he approved layouts for new apartment projects.
Charges and arrests
There were widespread protests and allegations in Bihar and other states over the leaked question papers in the NEET UG exam held on May 5.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took up the probe into the case on the directions of the Union Education Ministry, indicating the gravity of the allegations.
According to reports by Times News Network (TNN) and Press Trust of India (PTI), the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar police has made significant progress in the case. They arrested a total of nineteen persons including the prime suspects involved in the alleged paper leak. Those arrested include Paramjit Singh alias Bittu, Baldev Kumar alias Chintu, Prashant Kumar alias Kaju, Ajit Kumar, Rajiv Kumar alias Karu and Pinku Kumar from Deoghar in Jharkhand. These arrests unearthed a complex network of fraud spread across several states.
Also read: CBI takes over NEET-UG paper leak probe from Bihar Police
Speaking to TNN, a top official said, “The gang had been planning this for several months and a professor from Hazaribagh sent the question papers to Sanjeev via WhatsApp. Later, the paper was solved with the help of medical students from Patna and Ranchi.” After being solved, it was sent to Chintu of Karai Parsurai along with the answers. The investigating agency is now trying to trace the professor. On Chintu’s instructions, Pintu of Hilsa in Nalanda made photocopies of the question papers and on May 5, gave them to around 30 candidates staying at the ‘safe house’, now identified as a closed play school in Khemnichak area of Patna.
The role of the mysterious professor
The focus of the investigation is the identity and role of a mysterious professor who is allegedly involved in circulating the NEET UG question papers. Preliminary investigations have pointed to Sanjeev Mukhiya, also known as Sanjiv ‘Mukhia’, as the possible mastermind behind the paper leak racket. Reports suggest that Mukhiya, a former technical assistant at Nalanda’s Nursarai Horticulture College, had planned to circulate the exam papers via WhatsApp. He allegedly received the papers from a professor in Hazaribagh and coordinated with his associates in Patna and Ranchi for their distribution.
Who is Sanjeev Mukhiya?
Sanjeev Mukhiya, also known as Loota, is a technical assistant at Noorsarai Horticulture College in Nalanda and is believed to be the mastermind behind the NEET-UG paper leak. Mukhiya’s involvement in the paper leak racket came to light through investigations by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and Patna police, which revealed his and his son Dr Shiv Kumar alias Bittu’s role in the scam. Mukhiya could not be found in a raid conducted at his residence in Nagarnausa block of Nalanda district. Notably, his son is currently under arrest in connection with the alleged BPSC TRE 3.0 question paper leak. Before setting up his own criminal network, Mukhiya was associated with Bihar’s notorious education mafia Ranjit Don. His wife Mamta Devi is active in politics and contested the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 on a Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJNSP) ticket from Harnaut seat.
Also read: Centre’s anti-paper leak law comes into effect amid NEET and NET scam; examines offences and penalties
Sanjeev Mukhiya and his son Bittu have a history of cheating in exams. Mukhiya was arrested last year as a conspirator in the TRE paper leak case. Bittu, along with his father, was involved in leaking the NEET question paper from Patrakar Nagar in Patna in 2017. Their criminal activities are also linked to Dr Shubham Mandal, the mastermind of the recent UP constable exam paper leak. Investigation revealed that Bittu’s gang, originating from Balwa Shahpur in Nagarnausa police station area of Nalanda district, played a key role in leaking the NEET paper.
Sikandar Yadavendu: Another prominent name in the NEET UG controversy
Yadvendu, allegedly responsible for illegally distributing the exam question papers, is one of the main accused in the NEET-UG paper leak case. He was arrested on May 5. The 56-year-old man, who worked as a junior engineer in the Danapur Municipal Corporation, hails from a farmer family. He used to work as a small contractor till 2012. He has a diploma in engineering and has worked as a contractor for over a decade. Yadvendu lives in a rented flat in Rupaspur, Danapur, Patna.
Yadvendu’s family owns around eight bighas of land in Samastipur, Bihar. After completing his 10th standard in the 1980s, he moved to Ranchi for further studies and earned a diploma. In 2012, during the NDA rule in Bihar, he got a job as a junior engineer in the state’s water resources department. In 2016, he was implicated in a Rs 2.92 crore LED scam in Rohtas and was later released on bail. In 2021, he used his connections to get a transfer to the urban development and housing department, securing a position in the Danapur Municipal Council, where he approved layouts for new apartment projects.
