Amid the on-going row over NEET irregularities, Tehelka SIT’s investigation into alleged malpractices in the FMGE exam reveals a widespread network that compromises the integrity of medical licensing in India.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG, a crucial medical examination in India, has sparked anger, protests amid allegations of cheating after thousands of candidates secured unusually high marks in this year’s test. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), a government organization, responsible for some of India’s largest exams, NEET-UG is taken by millions of students annually, though only a small percentage achieve scores high enough for admissions to the medical colleges.
This year’s exam has come under scrutiny due to a range of issues — from errors in the question paper and improperly awarded grace marks (compensatory marks) to allegations of paper leaks and fraud. While NTA officials have denied any paper leaks, Bihar police have claimed that one of the aspirants has confirmed during the investigation that he traveled from Kota to Patna after being assured by a relative that he could obtain the NEET question paper in advance. According to the police, four aspirants gathered at a predetermined location the night before the examination to memorize answers from the leaked paper.
In the wake of the NEET controversy, Tehelka conducted an investigation into paper leak allegations surrounding another important examination—the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE). The findings aligned with those of Bihar, indicating that the FMGE question papers were to be leaked a day before the exam, and aspirants were to gather at predetermined locations to memorize the answers. During the investigation, we encountered Rakesh Bhandari, a middleman from Delhi, who was prepared to assist us in getting our fictitious candidate to pass the FMGE. Interestingly, he sought to employ the same method mentioned earlier: leaking the paper a day before the exam.
‘We will obtain the question papers one day prior to the exam. The candidate will be taken to an undisclosed location and provided with both question papers the night before. Additionally, we will solve the question papers for the candidate, ensuring that he answers at least 150 questions – the minimum required to pass the exam. On the exam day, the candidate will be discreetly dropped off at the examination center. If the exam papers match the leaked ones, the candidate is obligated to pay Rs 15 lakh that evening. Remember, the candidate must surrender his mobile phone to us beforehand to prevent him from taking pictures of the leaked papers and sending them to friends, which could lead to the papers going viral on social media and getting us into trouble,” explained Bhandari.
