Viral social media posts featuring a Malayalam newspaper advertisement of students and their National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) scores, is being shared online with a false and communal claim that Muslim NEET aspirants were the main beneficiaries of the question paper leak fiasco.
BOOM found that the claims insinuating Muslim students benefited from the question paper leak, are false. We traced the ad to a coaching institute in Kerala that created the ad and spoke to institute, which clarified that it had nothing to do with the question paper leak row and that the batch featured in the ad also had students from other faiths.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 5, 2024, a nationwide entrance test administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission into undergraduate medical programs. The investigating agency has also arrested multiple individuals for their purported involvement in the case, prompting protests from various student organisations. The allegations against the NTA include accusations of paper leaks and a controversy over grace marks awarded to over 1000 students from six centres due to a delayed start, which were later cancelled following a court order.
Several right-wing social media users have given a communal hue to the leak, without any evidence to support their claims.
An X user posted the newspaper clipping with the caption claiming, "The above photos are NEET ENTRANCE QUESTION PAPER LEAK BENEFICIARYS, JUST LOOK N GUESS WHO N WHICH RELIGION THER ARE? ARE,, All the candidates are Muslims. Now you have understood that the school principal behind the NEET conspiracy is also a Muslim and those who are being benefited are also all Muslims."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
BOOM also received the same photo on its WhatsApp tipline number (7700906588) with a request to verify the claim.
Fact Check
BOOM found that the communal claims circulating with the newspaper ad are false.
We then ran a search on Instagram using the name of one of the students, Fathima Wafa, and came across a congratulatory post dated June 7, 2024 by the Kerala-based coaching centre Universal Institute Kottakkal.
Click here to view the post.
The post mentions Wafa's score of 670 in the NEET 2024 exam, matching the score visible in the newspaper photo above her picture.
We then examined the coaching institute's website and found the same advertisement congratulating the top scorers in the NEET 2024 exam. Below is the comparison.
We also found several Hindu names in the same ad which cannot be seen clearly in the viral posts on account of the photo being blurry. This shows that the ad did not just feature Muslim NEET aspirants but students of other faiths.
BOOM spoke to Dr. Abdul Hameed, the academic director of Universal Institute Kottakkal. When questioned, Hameed acknowledged that the advertisement was created by the coaching institute and published in a local Malayalam newspaper.
"The advertisement includes students from different religious backgrounds. All students featured in the poster achieved genuine scores, and none of them were involved in the NEET paper leak incident," Hameed told BOOM.