The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday (June 21, 2026) claimed that Hindu NEET-UG aspirants were not allowed to wear religious symbols such as ‘kalava’ and ‘mala’ at several centres, while Muslim candidates were permitted to wear hijabs and burqas and demanded a probe into the alleged discrimination.
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal alleged that the differing treatment amounted to communal discrimination and urged the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct an enquiry into the matter.
“We congratulate the NTA for the successful conduct of the examination, but it should clarify whether Hindu students’ ‘kalava’ and ordinary malas were prohibited while Muslim girls were allowed to wear hijabs and burqas,” Mr. Bansal said in a post on X.
He also sought a detailed explanation from the NTA on the dress code norms followed at exam centres.
More than 20 lakh medical aspirants took a NEET re-exam on Sunday (June 21, 2026) after the original test was cancelled due to paper leaks.
In a statement, the NTA said candidates appeared for the medical entrance at 5,440 centres in India and 14 centres abroad. The exam was conducted in 13 languages, including Hindi and English.
Published - June 22, 2026 12:58 pm IST
discrimination / medical education / medical colleges / investigation
Source: The Hindu - India News
