Amid massive outrage over NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) UG paper leak issue, Maharashtra ATS detained two teachers from Latur on Saturday night. One of the two detainees is a teacher in Zilla Parishad school in Latur and the other in Solapur. Both the detained accused also run a private coaching center in Latur. The names of the detained teachers are Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav and Jalil Umarkhan Pathan.
At present, both the teachers were being interrogated by the probing officials.
NTA DG shunted out
The arrest comes hours after the government took several major steps to address the paper leak issue. The Centre shunted out National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG to the CBI.
The Education Ministry also set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the agency's functioning and recommend exam reforms.
It postponed the NEET-PG entrance, the fourth entrance exam to be impacted in recent days.
“We stand for transparent, tamper-free and zero error examination.
A panel has been formed on exam reforms, strict action has been taken against officials and the case has been handed over to CBI," Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.
"Students' interest will be safeguarded at any cost,” he said after a flurry of decisions amid litigation and protests in different parts of the country on the issue of alleged irregularities in entrance exams.
Opposition slams government
The opposition hit out at the government, with the Congress alleging that the education system has been "ruined" under the Modi government.
According to officials, NTA DG Subodh Kumar Singh has been put on "compulsory wait" in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) till further orders.
India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola has been assigned additional charge of the NTA till the appointment of a regular incumbent.
(With PTI inputs)
Also read: 'Absolutely disgraceful': Top doctors' body slams govt over postponement of NEET-PG exam
