New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check on Monday dismissed claims of a question paper leak before the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, calling a viral social media video on the issue ‘fake’ and ‘misleading’.

The clarification came after a video circulated widely on social media platforms, claiming that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination question paper had been leaked on Telegram before the test.

The PIB Fact Check Unit rejected the claim and urged the public not to fall for misinformation. In a post on social media platform X, PIB Fact Check said, “A video is being circulated on social media claiming that the NEET (UG) 2026 Re-Examination question paper was leaked on Telegram before the examination.”

Terming the allegation false, the agency stated, “#PIBFactCheck: This claim is FAKE. According to NTA, reports alleging a paper leak are unfounded and false.”

The PIB also appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and report misleading content related to the Government of India through its official fact-checking channels.

The NTA on June 21 separately issued an official statement, asserting that the video in question was fabricated and that the allegations made in it were baseless.

“NTA’s attention has been drawn to a fabricated video being circulated on social media regarding NEET (UG) 2026. The video is FAKE and the claims it makes are false. The examination was conducted successfully today under comprehensive security and surveillance,” the agency said.

The NTA further warned that creating and deliberately spreading misinformation to deceive or alarm students constitutes a serious offence.

“Manufacturing and deliberately circulating such misinformation to defraud or alarm students is a serious offence. NTA, with the support of I4C and law-enforcement agencies, is taking action against those responsible for originating this content,” the NTA added.

The examination body also urged students, parents and the general public to rely only on information published on the official NEET and NTA platforms and refrain from sharing unverified content.

“We appeal to students, parents and the public to verify only through neet.nta.nic.in and official NTA handles, and not to amplify such material. Our 20 lakh+ aspirants deserve a calm and fair process,” it added.

According to the agency, over 20 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination across 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad, with the examination being conducted in 13 languages.

NEET (UG) 2026 has been riddled with controversies after an alleged paper leak row last month followed by a major uproar prompted the NTA to schedule a re-exam.

NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the re-test was conducted smoothly across the country with robust security measures and no reports of a question paper leak so far.

While biology was widely described as the easiest section, many candidates said physics was the toughest part of the paper this time.

–IANS

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