Nagpur: A controversy surrounding a Nagpur-based NEET UG aspirant who was unexpectedly allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi has taken a dramatic turn after the National Testing Agency (NTA) issued a detailed clarification, contradicting the claims made by the student’s family.

The unusual case had triggered concern among students and parents after the candidate was assigned an overseas centre for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination despite residing in Nagpur. Following widespread attention, the NTA released technical details suggesting that the selection of Abu Dhabi was not an error by the system but was made through the candidate’s own login credentials.

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According to the agency, its records indicate that the candidate had selected Abu Dhabi as the first preferred examination city and Dubai as the second while updating his application on the official portal.

NTA officials stated that every activity linked to the application process, including portal login, modification of exam city preferences, admit card download, and even bank account updates related to refunds, originated from the same IP address located in Nagpur.

The agency further claimed that Abu Dhabi was chosen as a preferred centre on three separate occasions and that the candidate reviewed the selection twice before finally submitting the application.

Family rejects NTA’s version

However, the student’s father, Abdulla Talib, has strongly disputed the agency’s explanation. He maintained that his son had opted for nearby centres, including Nagpur, Wardha and Bhandara, and was stunned to discover an overseas examination venue on the admit card.

The family also highlighted a major practical hurdle, the student does not possess a passport, making international travel impossible at such short notice. According to them, there was neither sufficient time nor documentation available to travel abroad for the examination.

NTA has also raised questions regarding the timing of the complaint. The agency noted that the candidate downloaded his admit card on June 16, yet no grievance was lodged through official channels after noticing the centre allocation. No email, helpline complaint, or formal communication was received by the agency.

Instead, the matter surfaced publicly through media reports just a day before the scheduled examination. Officials have termed this sequence of events significant and are examining the circumstances surrounding the delay.

Student shifted back to Nagpur

Amid the controversy, NTA has reassigned the candidate to an examination centre in Nagpur, ensuring that he can appear for the re-examination without disruption.

At the same time, the agency’s cyber experts have launched an investigation to determine whether the changes in examination-city preferences were made by the candidate himself or if an unauthorised person gained access to the account and altered the details.

Notably, NTA pointed out that this is the only reported instance of a candidate being allotted an overseas centre for the re-examination. No similar complaints have been received from any other student across the country.

The incident has reignited discussions about the security of online examination portals and the responsibility of candidates to carefully verify application details.

The NEET UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted on June 21 in offline mode from 2 pm to 5.15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 international cities, with over 22.79 lakh candidates expected to appear.

While the cyber investigation is expected to establish the facts, the controversy has underscored two crucial lessons: safeguarding login credentials from misuse and promptly reporting discrepancies. Education experts note that delays in flagging errors can significantly reduce the chances of timely resolution, particularly in examinations involving millions of candidates.

The final outcome of the probe may determine whether this was a case of human error, unauthorised access, or a misunderstanding, but for now, the mysterious Abu Dhabi allotment remains one of the most unusual episodes of the NEET 2026 examination cycle.