States across the country stepped up security and surveillance measures on Saturday ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, with authorities conducting drills, deploying cyber teams, and arranging special transport facilities for candidates, to ensure smooth, secure and transparent conduct of the medical entrance test, officials aware of the developments said.
More than 2.27 million aspirants are expected to appear for the examination on Sunday, nearly seven weeks after the original test was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak. The re-examination will be held from 2 pm to 5.15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.
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Question papers reached district strong rooms under heavy police and paramilitary security on Saturday, a day after Air Force helicopters dropped the sealed bundles of examination papers at district headquarters.
Officials said the papers are being stored under a three-tier security arrangement and that CCTV cameras, signal jammers and biometric verification systems have been deployed at centres. To eliminate any possibility of a leak, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has prepared multiple sets of question papers and will decide which set will be distributed on the day of the examination, officials said.
In Rajasthan, a statewide drill was conducted on Saturday to review security arrangements.
In Jaipur, intelligence agencies and local police questioned nearly 30 people who were previously involved in exam malpractices.
“No arrests have been made. We questioned them to find out about the possibility of any malpractice,” a police officer said.
Hours before the examination, police in Ajmer received a complaint alleging an attempt to sell the NEET question paper through video calls. ASP Himanshu Jangid said the cyber team began a probe and urged students not to fall prey to fraudulent claims.
In Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Mohan Yadav announced the deployment of 38 cyber commandos to monitor social media for circulation of fake question papers, leak rumours and suspicious online activity.
In Uttar Pradesh, extensive police deployment has been made and a temporary control room set up in Lucknow for real-time monitoring.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta announced free bus travel for candidates and special cooling zones outside examination centres. “Delhi government has ensured that no family faces unnecessary difficulties related to transportation, heat or long waiting hours on the day of the exam,” Gupta said.
In Bihar, the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has intensified surveillance on individuals previously linked to examination fraud. In Jharkhand, district administrations conducted drills and imposed restrictions around examination centres.
In Jamshedpur, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita have been imposed within a 200-metre radius of all eight examination centres.
“Carrying mobile phones and electronic devices into the centres is strictly prohibited,” East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Rajiv Ranjan said. Tamil Nadu chief secretary M Sai Kumar reviewed preparations with district collectors on Saturday.
(With inputs from state bureaus)
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