In wake of reports that data of National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) 2018 applicants may have been leaked, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on July 24 wrote to Anita Karwal, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chairman, seeking a probe into the alleged leak.In a letter addressed to CBSE Chief Karwal, Rahul stated, “It is alleged that data of candidates who appeared for NEET this year, is available on certain websites for a price and has leaked data of over 2,00,000 students.”
“I am shocked by this wide scale theft of personal data that has compromised the privacy of candidates across the country. This highlights the serious lack of safeguards to prevent data breach and calls into question the ability of the CBSE to ensure the sanctity of the examination process,” Rahul stated in his letter.
While urging the CBSE chief Karwal to order an inquiry against the officials responsible for the breach, he said, “In addition, I request you too put in additional safeguards to prevent the recurrence of such data breaches.”
A media report revealed that the personal details and data of nearly 2.5 lakh students appearing for NEET exam were on sale for Rs 2-2.5 lakh online. Report further says that the company collecting the students’ data said that the details which are collected helped career counselors to connect with students thereafter.
The NEET was conducted by CBSE on May 7, for which over 13 lakh candidates appeared across the country.
