Sai’s family shown marksheet with no answers

Family members of Sai Akshay, the city student who scored 0 out of 720 in NEET 2020 examination, who approached the office of the National Testing Agency in Delhi on Tuesday to verify the answer sheets found that the sheets provided to them matched with the ones that Sai Akshay had accessed online.

“One of our relatives who served in the Defence went to NTA to enquire. He was given the same OMR sheet that was sent to us. Not just the marks, but the entire NEET process has been manipulated,” alleged Muthukumar, Sai Akshay’s brother-in-law.

The family is now deliberating on the next course of action, including approaching the courts. “We discussing the next course of action with our relatives and friends. But we don’t have much hope, as there is a clear case of manipulation at the highest level,” said Muthukumar.

DT Next carried an article titled ‘City topper scores zero in NEET; alleges manipulation in results’ on Tuesday, highlighting how Sai Akshay, a topper in his school, got 0 marks in the nation-wise test. He was confident of getting close to 520 marks. When his OMR sheet was obtained, the family found that none of the answers were marked and that the handwriting was not his. These made the family conclude that there was manipulation. Soon after the report appeared, many including parliamentarians took up the matter, urging officials and the Union Education Minister to look into the issue. “Sai Akshay’s is not an isolated incident, as many such cases have been reported across the State. A Supreme Court-monitored investigation should be carried out, because results show that the scam happened across the nation,” Lok Sabha member and VCK general secretary D Ravi Kumar told this newspaper.

South Chennai MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian urged Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and the Director General of NTA to look into the issue in a tweet. “With this fear, how many more students will suffer,” she said. Another DMK MP Dr Senthilkumar quoted the report and said there was suspicion of results being tampered. Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader T Velmurugan said that the results definitely raised suspicion. “Tamil Nadu is one of the most developed states in education when compared to a few northern states. However, NEET results show a completely opposite trend. This is highly suspicious,” said Velmurugan.