The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday issued a detailed clarification stating that the allotment of an Abu Dhabi examination centre to a Nagpur-based NEET UG 2026 re-examination candidate was not due to any technical glitch or error on its part. Instead, web-activity records show that the candidate, identified as 18-year-old Abdullah Mohammad Talib, had himself selected the overseas centre using his registered login credentials during the city correction window. The NTA has now allowed the change of the centre to Nagpur a day before the exam.
In an official statement posted on X, the NTA said: “NTA’s web-activity records indicate that the city change in this case was made through the candidate’s own registered login during the open correction window, with a consistent single-user access pattern.” It further noted that the centre was changed to Abu Dhabi on one occasion using the candidate’s credentials and was previewed as Abu Dhabi on two other occasions.
Reference the issue with regard to allotment of a centre in Abu Dhabi to a candidate in Nagpur, NTA would like to state the following:
— National Testing Agency (@NTA_Exams) June 20, 2026
Following the rescheduling of NEET (UG) 2026 to 21 June, the National Testing Agency reopened the examination-city correction window to assist…
The controversy erupted after Abdullah Mohammad Talib downloaded his provisional admit card for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, scheduled for June 21. The card listed “Abu Dhabi Indian School” as his examination centre instead of a venue in Maharashtra. The admit card mentioned the address of the school as Salama Bint Butti Street, 23rd Muroor Road, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
His family claimed they had selected only Indian cities, Nagpur, Wardha and Bhandara, as preferred examination centres during the application and correction process. They expressed shock, pointing out that the student does not possess a passport, making travel to the UAE impossible at such short notice. The family contacted the NTA helpline late on Friday (June 19) and also raised the matter publicly, leading to widespread media coverage and concern among aspirants ahead of the high-stakes re-exam.
#WATCH | Nagpur, Mahrashtra: Family of a NEET aspirant, Abdullah Mohammad Talib, claims that he was allocated a school in Abu Dhabi as his exam center for NEET-UG re-exam scheduled to be held on 21st June.
— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2026
His father, Mohammad Talib, says, "…After the admit card was downloaded… pic.twitter.com/EmFqhIFVRK
Initial reports described the incident as a “technical glitch” by the NTA. The agency had assured the family that the issue would be resolved and a revised admit card with a Nagpur centre would be issued. Maharashtra leaders and opposition figures also raised the matter, amplifying the issue on social media.
The father said that after spotting the issue, they called the helpline, and they were asked to send an email detailing the problem. After they did so, they received a call assuring that Talib would be issued a new admit card with the correct exam centre. He said that while they had originally gave 3 locations as options, they demanded Nagpur as his son was shocked and there was no time to travel to other districts.
After the matter was raised by the media, NTA posted on X saying that the grievance is being addressed and the candidate will be allocated a centre in Nagpur. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also used the incident to attack the NTA and the Modi govt. In a long post on X, he said that “a system that can’t provide a child with a centre in their own city and instead sends them abroad has no right to conduct the exam.”
Despite its clarification that the selection was made by the candidate, the NTA emphasised its “student-first” approach. It stated that upon receiving the informal request on the evening of June 19, just 48 hours before the exam, NTA personnel immediately contacted the candidate’s father and helped process the formal change of centre back to Nagpur.
The clarification makes it clear that Talib had himself selected Abu Dhabi as an exam centre, perhaps by mistake, and failed to notice while previewing the form. He and his family spotted it only after downloading the admit card from the portal.
The agency highlighted that following the rescheduling of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination to June 21, it had reopened the examination-city correction window. Around 3.2 lakh candidates used the facility, and over 99.5% were allotted their preferred cities.
The Abu Dhabi exam centre was in the options because NTA conducts NEET in several countries outside India. The medical entrance exam is held in 12 countries, including the UAE, where the test is held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Other than the UAE, the test is held in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Nigeria.
The NTA reiterated that its priority remains ensuring no candidate misses the examination due to administrative doubts. The re-examination is being conducted amid massive security following paper leak allegations during the original May 2026 exam.
