Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha Alleges RJD Leader Tejashwi Yadav’s Aide Preetam Kumar Linked to NEET Exam Paper Leaks and Malpractices.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday claimed that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s aide was linked to the alleged paper leaks and malpractices in the NEET-UG 2024 row.
During a press briefing, Sinha alleged that Tejashwi Yadav’s aide, Preetam Kumar, contacted an employee of the Bihar Road Construction Department (RCD) to book a room for Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, an engineer who had previously disclosed the involvement of a ‘Mantri Ji’ in the entrance exam controversy.
Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu claimed he recommended his nephew Anurag Yadav, a NEET aspirant, along with his mother and other accomplices, to stay at a government bungalow in Patna. Anurag Yadav is currently in custody in connection with the exam irregularities.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha stated he conducted a departmental inquiry into the matter and discovered that Preetam Kumar called RCD staffer Pradeep to book a room at the Bihar NHAI guest house on May 1, four days before the examination took place nationwide.
Sinha alleged that call details confirmed Preetam Kumar contacted Pradeep.
“I demand a high level inquiry into this matter. They are out of power, but want to play with the future of lakhs of candidates,” Sinha said.
He further stated that he had suspended three employees of the Road Construction Department, including Pradeep, in connection with the room booking.
However, the Bihar NHAI dismissed reports that the accused stayed at their guest house, issuing a statement that it “does not have any guest house facility in Patna.”
“Some sections of the press have reported that the accused related to the NEET paper leak case stayed at the NHAI guest house in Patna. NHAI would like to clarify that NHAI does not have any guest house facility in Patna,” the statement added.
In his confession letter, Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu wrote that his nephew informed him about getting the desired results “as promised earlier.” The engineer also stated that he was in touch with a racket specializing in leaking question papers for NEET, UPSC, and other examinations.
Yadavendu also claimed he made logistical arrangements for other candidates, including Ayush Raj, Shivanandan Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Anurag Yadav, and Anurag’s mother, Reena.
Earlier in the day, in his confession letter, Anurag Yadav admitted that the leaked question paper provided to him matched the actual exam question paper.
