"If a confidential letter can be leaked, can we be confident about the security of the NEET PG paper?" All FMGs Association (AFA) asked.
The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has written to district administrations, asking them to ensure the smooth conduct of the NEET PG 2024 examination, scheduled for August 11, so that its sanctity and integrity are preserved.
However, a body of foreign medical graduates, All FMGs Association (AFA), took to X to share the letter on August and said, "It appears that a confidential letter from NBEMS has been leaked in public, containing information about the exam shift and the number of students taking the exam."
"If a confidential letter can be leaked, can we be confident about the security of the NEET PG paper?" it asked.
However, official sources asserted that the letter merely contained general instructions, adding that unnecessary hype was being created by alleging its leak.
The letter by NBEMS President Dr Abhijat Sheth, dated August 1, said that given the critical nature of the test, which has a significant effect on the academic and professional lives of several aspirants, "it is imperative to ensure that the process is conducted in a secure and uninterrupted manner".
Notably, NBEMS has been tasked with conducting the National Entrance-cum-Eligility Test - Post Graduate (NEET-PG) 2024.
The NBEMS President wrote the letter seeking support "for the smooth conduct of this very high-stakes examination which assumed national importance and will now be conducted by NBEMS on pan-India basis for 2,28,542 candidates at 376 examination centres across 169 cities."
He also sought continuous supply of power at all examination centres during the test for proper maintenance of the electronic systems and lighting, and to prevent any disruptions that may critically affect the medical aspirants' performance and the overall exam.
"Though the examination is conducted on computers connected over a LAN with no Internet connectivity at examination centres during the conduct of examination, the availability of the Internet is essential to download the encrypted question papers at all examination centres before the start of the examination and to upload the candidate response and other exam related data to central data centres after the conduct of the examination," Sheth said in his letter.
"Your support is solicited in ensuring this minimal availability of internet connectivity at all examination centres," the letter was cited by news agency PTI.
The letter also mentioned the need to deploy enough security personnel to manage the crowd, and traffic to prevent any untoward incident at the test centre, given its high-stakes nature.
The letter to the district magistrates read, "We request to direct all state functionaries concerned to take all possible measures to preserve the integrity and sanctity of the examination. It is requested to depute the staff of district administration to observe the conduct of examination at test centres in areas of your jurisdiction."
"Your support will be instrumental in facilitating a seamless examination process, and will greatly contribute to upholding the credibility and fairness of the examination," it added.
A detailed schedule of the examination, including the location of all centres were mentioned in the letter.
"We trust that with your esteemed support, the examination will be conducted successfully and without any untoward incident for students of your district," the NBEMS President said in the letter.