BJP, RJD Lock Horns Over ‘Link’ To Key Accused in NEET UG Paper Leak Case – What We Know So Far

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha stated that Tejashwi Yadav should clarify if Pritam Kumar is still his personal secretary and he should also clarify who is Sikander Kumar Yadavendu.

Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday claimed that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s personal secretary was linked to the alleged NEET UG paper leak case. Addressing a press conference, Sinha claimed that Tejashwi Yadav’s secretary Preetam Kumar called an employee of the Bihar Road Construction Department (RCD) to book a room for Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu, an engineer who earlier revealed an alleged involvement of a ‘Mantri Ji’ in the entrance exam row.

What Vijay Sinha Said on Tejashwi Yadav

“On May 1, Tejashwi Yadav’s personal secretary Pritam Kumar called guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar to book a room for Sikander Kumar Yadavendu. On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again for booking the room. The word ‘mantri’ was used for Tejashwi Yadav,” Vijay Sinha said.

#WATCH | Patna: On NEET issue, Bihar Deputy CM Vijay Sinha says, “On May 1, Tejashwi Yadav’s personal secretary Pritam Kumar called guesthouse worker Pradip Kumar to book a room for Sikander Kumar Yadavendu… On May 4, Pritam Kumar called Pradip Kumar again for booking the… pic.twitter.com/nG7UAFJTs7

— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2024

Vijay Sinha further stated that Tejashwi Yadav should clarify if Pritam Kumar is still his personal secretary and he should also clarify who is Sikander Kumar Yadavendu.

“When Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in Ranchi, Sikander Kumar Yadavendu used to be at Lalu’s service… He was a JE in the irrigation department… They play with the future of the people. They do scams when they are in power and they try to influence the appointment process,” he stated.

On Vijay Sinha’s claims, Pradip Kumar says, “Pritam called me and asked me to book a room for Sikander Kumar on May 1 and then again on May 4. I asked for a requisition, on which he said that it would be given by them…”

NEET UG Paper Leak: Four Accused Identified

In the NEET UG paper leak case, four accused have been arrested and identified as NEET candidate Anurag Yadav, his uncle Sikandar Yadavendu, and two others – Nitish Kumar and Amit Anand.  Yadav stated his uncle gave him the leaked paper – which “had the same questions (as) in the exam” – a day in advance.

The uncle told the police that Kumar and Anand offered the paper – which sorts students for admission to undergraduate medical courses across the country – for Rs 32 lakh.

In the meantime, Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu claimed that he recommended the stay of his nephew Anurag Yadav, a NEET aspirant, his mother and other accomplices at a government bungalow in Patna. Currently, Anurag Yadav is in jail in connection with the exam irregularities.

Vijay Kumar Sinha further claimed he conducted a departmental inquiry into the matter and understood that Preetam Kumar called the RCD staffer named Pradeep to book a room at the guest house of Bihar NHAI on May 1 – four days before the examination took place across the country.

The Bihar Deputy Chief Minister further alleged there were call details of Preetam Kumar calling Pradeep.

BJP Demands High-level Probe Into NEET UG Row

“I demand a high level inquiry into this matter. They are out of power, but want to play with the future of lakhs of candidates,” Sinha said.

However, the Bihar NHAI refuted the allegations of the accused staying at their guest house, saying in a statement that it “does not have any guest house facility in Patna”.

“Some sections of the press have reported that the accused related to the NEET paper leak case stayed at NHAI guest house in Patna. NHAI would like to clarify that NHAI does not have any guest house facility in Patna,” the statement added.

In the meantime Sikandar Prasad Yadavendu in a confession statement wrote that his nephew informed him about getting desired results “as promised earlier”.

Earlier in the day, in his confession letter, Anurag Yadav admitted that the leaked question paper provided to him matched the actual exam question paper.