GUWAHATI: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha accused an aide of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav of being involved in the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leaks and discrepancies, on Thursday.
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During a press conference in Patna, Sinha stated that on May 1 and May 4, Pritam Kumar, who was Tejashwi Yadav's personal secretary during his ministerial tenure, contacted an employee of the Bihar road construction department to arrange a room for Sikander Kumar Yadavendu, an engineer implicated in the NEET-UG question paper leak.
“On May 1, Tejashwi Yadav's personal secretary Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar to book a room for Sikander Kumar Yadavendu…On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again to book the room,” Sinha said.
“The word 'mantri ji' was used by Pritam Kumar who was personal secretary to Tejashwi Yadav when he was minister in the previous government,” he added. The BJP leader called on Tejashwi Yadav to clarify whether Pritam Kumar was still his personal secretary.
“Tejashwi Yadav should clarify if Pritam Kumar is still his PS and he should also clarify who is Sikander Kumar Yadavendu. When Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in Ranchi, Sikander Kumar Yadavendu used to be at Lalu's service…He was a junior engineer in the irrigation department. They play with the future of the people. They do scams when they are in power and they try to influence the appointment process,” he alleged.
A confession letter from Sikander Kumar Yadavendu, a junior engineer employed by the Danapur Nagar Parishad in Bihar, added fuel to the ongoing controversy around the NEET-UG 2024 examination. According to media reports, a ‘Mantri Ji’ allegedly arranged for a NEET aspirant (a relative of the engineer), his mother, and other associates to stay at a government bungalow in Patna. In his confession, Yadavendu reportedly admitted to facilitating the accommodation of four NEET candidates and the guardian of one of them in Patna. The rough bill book of the guest house mentioned a ‘Mantri Ji’ who reportedly facilitated the stay for Yadav and his associates.
The result of the NEET-UG 2024 was declared on June 4. As soon as the results were declared, there was an uproar, with many students alleging discrepancies. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police has so far arrested 13 people, including four examinees and their family members, in connection with the alleged NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case.
All accused belong to Bihar, said Manavjit Singh Dhillon, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), EOU to the media. According to Ahilesh Kumar, whose son Ayush was also arrested from the DAV school, confessed that Sikander Prasad Yadvendu had allegedly assured him of success in the NEET exam and he had demanded ₹40 lakh and collected examination papers from him.
Similarly, another accused Reena Kumari, whose son Anurag Yadav was also arrested from an examination centre, told police that her son studied in Kota and her relative Sikander Yadav assured her of 100% success in the NEET paper. Sikander arranged a meeting with the arrested Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar. Sikander, in his confessional statement, told police that Amit and Nitish told him that they would manage any competitive papers with assured success. “They demanded ₹30-32 lakh per candidate but I demanded ₹40 lakh from each candidate to pocket ₹8-lakh,” he told the police.
