NEET UG 2025: NTA asks Telegram, Instagram to remove over 120 fake leak accounts

New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI): Just ahead of the NEET UG Exam, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has asked Instagram and Telegram to take down over 120 accounts "spreading false claims" about the question paper leak,
Acting on inputs received through its newly launched Suspicious Claims Reporting Portal, the testing agency has identified 106 Telegram channels and 16 Instagram accounts pushing fake narratives related to the exam, sources at NTA told ANI.
The move is part of a larger crackdown on misinformation that aims to mislead aspirants and create panic ahead of the national-level medical entrance exam.
"These channels falsely claimed access to the NEET (UG) 2025 question paper and were misleading students. All such cases have been escalated to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs," sources said.
The national-level medical entrance exam will be held on May 4 and will take place in over 550 cities at more than 5,000 centres across the country.
"The NTA has requested Telegram and Instagram to immediately take down these channels to prevent the spread of falsehoods and unnecessary panic among aspirants," sources added.
In addition to requesting takedowns, the NTA has urged both platforms to share details of the admins behind these groups to enable further legal action.
Launched on April 26, the portal has already received over 1,500 submissions -- a majority of them tied to Telegram-based fake leak claims. The agency has urged the public to report three types of violations: unauthorized platforms claiming access to the paper, individuals asserting possession of exam content, and impersonators posing as NTA or government officials.
Authorities have reminded the public that violations fall under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, which carries strict penalties.
Suspicious activities can be reported until 5 PM on May 4, 2025, at https://nta.ac.in. (ANI)