NEET UG exam (Images/PTI)

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan condemning the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG 2026 and demanding immediate action against it. National Testing Agency (NTA) and people involved in malpractices.The organization urged the government to decentralize the conduct of the NEET-UG examination by handing over more responsibility to the states and union territories, and also to restore transparency and public confidence in the examination system.In its letter, the IMA expressed ‘deep concern and deep disappointment’ over the developments surrounding the medical entrance examination, saying that repeated controversies and alleged irregularities have caused ‘extreme mental trauma, stress, hardship and uncertainty’ to lakhs of candidates and their families.Highlighting the scale of the exam, IMA said that more than 22.5 lakh students appeared for NEET-UG 2026 in over 551 cities and 5,500 centers across the country. It warned that conducting examinations on such a large scale in a single phase using physical question papers has become ‘an extremely challenging task’, raising the possibility of future leaks unless structural reforms are made.The doctors’ body demanded that NEET-UG be conducted in completely online mode in all states and union territories to reduce the possibility of question paper leaks and exam-related malpractices.It also called for a ‘credible and timely’ CBI investigation into the alleged leak, arrest of all culprits involved, setting up of special fast-track courts for daily trials and strict punishment under laws dealing with examination irregularities.Among other recommendations, the IMA called for a comprehensive and impartial investigation to identify all individuals and institutions associated with the alleged leaks along with enhanced technological security measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.The association urged the authorities to provide timely clarity on the re-examination schedule to reduce anxiety among students and set up counseling and support system for affected candidates and parents.“The medical profession is built on ethics, trust and credibility. Therefore, these same principles must be upheld in the process of selecting future doctors,” the letter said.IMA also said that repeated controversies surrounding national level entrance examinations have shaken the confidence of students who spend years preparing for medical entrance exams.The association said, “India’s students are the builders of a developed India. They deserve the assurance that their future will be determined entirely by merit, hard work and honesty.”The letter comes days after NTA announced that the re-exam of NEET-UG 2026 will be held on June 21 after canceling the May 3 exam over allegations of massive irregularities and question paper leaks.