Hyderabad: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) re-exam, held across Telangana on Sunday, passed off peacefully amid tight security at examination centres. The test was conducted after the Centre cancelled the original exam, held on May 3 following a paper leak. Of the 73,059 candidates registered across 208 centres in 24 districts, 65,087 appeared, taking attendance to 89.09%, according to officials. The turnout was significantly lower than the 97.64% recorded in the original exam. Hyderabad, which hosted 66 centres, recorded an attendance of 89.34%. Medchal-Malkajgiri logged the highest turnout among districts at 91.54%, while Suryapet recorded the lowest at 84.03%.For many families, Sunday marked the end of weeks of uncertainty. Some parents broke down in tears the moment they saw their child walk out of the exam centre. Outside one Hyderabad centre, Durga stood quietly counting prayers on her fingers while waiting for her daughter to walk out after her third attempt at NEET, including the re-exam. “The paper leak was heartbreaking. Children study for years and then something as big as a paper leak happens. We were worried about whether she would have to go through the stress all over again,” she said. “Now I just want this phase to end and hope she gets the seat she deserves.”Rijana P, who travelled from Bowenpally with her 20-year-old son Sai Krishna, said they had left home well before they needed to, just to avoid any last-minute scramble. “After everything that happened this year, we did not want to take any chances. We reached early and waited. The paper was manageable according to him, so we are hopeful,” she said. Outside the centres, students walked out with a mix of relief and uncertainty.“It feels I am finally out of the NEET loop,” said a student, who did not wish to be named. “The re-exam itself was stressful because we had already prepared, written the exam once and then had to mentally start all over again.” Shravani, another candidate, felt her second attempt had gone better. “Chemistry was a little tricky, but overall I think I performed better this time,” she said.S Kishan, who appeared for the exam at Govt High School Raj Bhavan, said, “Biology was easier this time, but physics was tough. Questions from higher-weightage topics such as semiconductors appeared, but they were very less than last time and expectations. Both chemistry and physics were lengthy too. The previous exam was easier.” For Md Izaan, the last attempt remains a difficult memory. “I was very hopeful of securing an MBBS seat after the last attempt. It left me traumatised and discouraged. I still hope to get a seat, but this paper was tougher, especially physics. The worst anxiety in my case started before the exam. I was coming from Shastripuram, and there was pathetic traffic near Imlibun,” he said.At coaching institutes, the mood among aspirants was similar. B Ramakrishna, NEET coordinator at Narayana Group, said the paper leak had taken a toll beyond academics. “Many students were mentally exhausted. Attendance in internal tests dropped after the controversy. The uncertainty affected preparation and confidence levels,” he said. Near a Kacheguda centre, a police officer said the day had passed without incident. “We do not leave until the answer sheets are safely dispatched. We have been here since 9 am. By 10 am, students had started to arrive. We have not witnessed any untoward incident,” said A Bharath Kumar, sub-inspector at Kacheguda police station.Candidate caught using mobile phoneAn 18-year-old student was caught allegedly cheating during the examination at ZPHS, Ragannaguda, under Adibatla police station limits, on Sunday. According to police, the student, a resident of Achampet, arrived at the centre around 7 am and hid a mobile phone in a washroom ventilator adjoining the school compound wall. Around 11 am, he allegedly shifted the device, concealed in a zip-lock cover, into a flush tank. The phone went undetected despite security inspections conducted at 6 am and 11 am and frisking of candidates. During the exam, the student complained of stomach pain and sought permission to use the washroom. When he failed to return for an unusually long time, staff checked the facility and allegedly found him searching for answers on the phone. Police seized the device and found he had used Google Chrome to look up answers. A case was registered.3 girls miss re-exam after reaching lateThree girl students were denied entry to a NEET-UG re-examination centre in Uppal after arriving beyond the prescribed reporting time on Sunday. According to police, the students reached Kendriya Vidyalaya No 2 Uppal after the gates had been closed. The girls reportedly told officials that they had been delayed due to traffic and issues during their journey to the centre, police who were on monitoring duty told TOI. A total of 360 candidates were allotted the centre, of whom 34 remained absent. “Three candidates arrived after the deadline and could not be permitted to enter the examination hall as per NTA guidelines. One of them arrived at 1. 32pm and two at 1. 36pm,” said Uppal SI K Iddaiah. Meanwhile, several videos had circulated on platform X, with two instances of parents falling to the feet of the police and guards monitoring the centres, requesting them to let their child enter exam hall. “Google maps misguided us,” one of the parents was heard saying in a video on social media.
