NEET 2024: Concerns over Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh being a weak link used by the Bihar paper leak mafia have been raised in the wake of the NEET-NET issue due to its association with the previous two high-profile paper leak instances.
Oasis School’s Role in NEET Paper Leak
A manipulated question paper from Hazaribagh’s Oasis School was discovered in the NEET paper leak, according to sources within the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police. After receiving a report including evidence of tampering, the Union Education Ministry contacted the National Testing Agency (NTA) and ultimately escalated the case to the CBI for additional inquiry.
The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) teacher recruitment exam paper was also leaked from Hazaribagh on March 15. About 268 candidates—113 of whom were from the Nalanda region of Bihar—were moved to various locations in Hazaribagh as part of the modus operandi, and they were given the questions and answers the night before the test. Candidates and members of the paper leak mafia were apprehended as a result of joint efforts by the Jharkhand and Bihar Police.
Sanjeev Mukhiya’s Operations Extend Beyond Bihar
One common thread running through these incidents was the notorious Sanjeev Mukhiya gang. Sanjeev Mukhiya is said to have a close relationship with Hazaribagh; his son, Dr. Shiv, is already serving a jail sentence for his role in the BPSC teacher recruitment exam paper leak.
EOU sources claim that Sanjeev Mukhiya’s network operates beyond the Bihar border by using Hazaribagh as a safe zone. The NEET leaks and the recruiting exam are two aspects of the gang’s operations. On April 21, Dr. Shiv Mukhiya and four associates were taken into custody in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, in connection with the NEET paper leak case. Additionally, his name surfaced in a 2017 Patna police station case pertaining to the NEET paper leak.
Who is Sanjeev Mukhiya?
Sanjeev Mukhiya, a resident of Shahpur Balwa hamlet in Nalanda, views his operational stronghold as the trail that runs from Hazaribagh to Nalanda. In order to limit the Mukhiya gang’s power and protect the integrity of the testing procedures, the EOU keeps tabs on their activities.
On May 4, the day before the NEET exam, Sanjeev Mukhiya was accused of housing close to twenty-five applicants at a boys’ dormitory connected to the Learn Play School in Patna. It is said that at the same hostel, the candidates received the exposed question paper and answer sheets. In order to find and apprehend him, the EOU has produced brochures and notified police units in the districts of Nalanda, Gaya, and Nawada in Bihar.