3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 20, 2026 03:27 PM IST
A NEET-UG 2026 aspirant from Nagpur had been allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, just a day before the medical entrance re-examination. He had opted for Nagpur as his preferred test city when filling the NEET UG application form. The student, who was originally assigned a centre at Saraswati Vidyalaya in Nagpur for the initial examination, discovered the error only after downloading his fresh admit card following the rescheduling of the exam in the wake of the alleged paper leak controversy.
NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Live Updates
As an update to the news story, Director General Abhishek Singh clarified that the issue regarding a Nagpur-based student being allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi for the NEET UG 2026 re-exam has been resolved. Speaking to ANI, NTA DG Abhishek Singh stated that the discrepancy has been rectified and the student has been assigned a centre in their home city.
Read | ‘What if there’s an ambush’: Across divide, aspirants dread journey to NEET UG re-exam centres
What has happened?
A NEET-UG 2026 aspirant from Nagpur was allotted an exam centre in Abu Dhabi just a day before the re-examination, despite choosing Nagpur as his preferred city. His new NEET admit card listed the Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE as his examination centre. According to the family, the student had listed Nagpur as his first preference, followed by Wardha and Bhandara, reports news agency ANI.
The student’s father, Mohammad Talib, said the family was completely blindsided by the development. “We are completely unable to send our child abroad for the exam. He does not even have a passport, and there is no time left to make travel arrangements,” he said.
The family has since lodged a complaint with the NTA helpline. The agency reportedly acknowledged the error and assured them a revised admit card would be issued following verification.
Also Read | Telegram ban not foolproof against VPNs, but curbs NEET fraud market: NTA chief
Story continues below this ad
Former Maharashtra Education Minister Dr Anees Ahmed criticised the lapse, calling on NTA to immediately allot the student a centre in Nagpur or a nearby city. The incident, he said, reflects a serious failure on the part of the testing agency.
Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has put in place extensive security and logistical arrangements for the smooth conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21. Confidential examination materials are being transported under strict protocols through GPS-enabled vehicles accompanied by police escorts. CCTV surveillance, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed across examination centres.
More than two lakh personnel — including city coordinators, observers, centre superintendents, invigilators, district administration officials and police personnel — have been mobilised for the examination.
Candidates have been advised to arrive at their centres between 11 am and 1:30 pm. Entry gates will close at 1:30 pm. The examination will be held in pen-and-paper mode from 2 pm to 5:15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad. More than 22.79 lakh candidates are registered to appear for the test.