NEET Glitch: Nagpur student assigned Exam Centre in Abu Dhabi
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, June 20, 2026: A major administrative lapse ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination left a student from Maharashtra’s Nagpur district stunned after he was assigned an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, despite opting for centres within his home state.
The issue came to light when the medical aspirant downloaded his revised admit card for the June 21 re-examination and discovered that his test centre had been allotted at Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE. According to the student’s family, he had selected Nagpur as his first preference while filling out the application form, followed by Wardha and Bhandara.
The student had originally been assigned a centre in Nagpur for the first NEET-UG examination. However, after the exam was rescheduled following the controversy surrounding the alleged paper leak, a fresh admit card placed him thousands of kilometres away from his preferred location.
The unexpected allotment left the family worried, as arranging international travel at such short notice was virtually impossible. The student’s father, Mohammad Talib, said the family was shocked by the development and pointed out that his son did not even possess a passport, making it impossible for him to appear for the examination abroad.
Following the discovery, the family contacted the National Testing Agency (NTA) helpline and lodged a formal complaint. The agency reportedly acknowledged the discrepancy and assured the family that the matter would be reviewed immediately.
The issue drew criticism from several quarters, with former Maharashtra Education Minister Dr Anees Ahmed describing the incident as a serious lapse and urging authorities to allot the candidate a centre in Nagpur or a nearby city without delay.
Later in the day, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh confirmed that the error had been rectified. Speaking to ANI, Singh said the candidate had been reassigned an examination centre in his home city and would be able to appear for the test without any difficulty.
The incident occurred just ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21, for which the NTA has put in place extensive security and logistical arrangements. Examination materials are being transported in GPS-enabled vehicles under police escort, while centres have been equipped with CCTV surveillance, Aadhaar-based biometric verification systems and real-time monitoring mechanisms.
More than 22.79 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the examination, which will be conducted in pen-and-paper mode from 2 pm to 5:15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. Authorities have advised candidates to report to their examination centres between 11 am and 1:30 pm, with entry gates closing at 1:30 pm.