Muslim Student Wearing Burqa Allegedly Denied Entry for NEET Re-Exam in India's Ajmer

21/06/2026

AJMER, Jun 21: A NEET-UG aspirant in Rajasthan’s Ajmer alleged that she was initially denied entry to an examination centre for wearing a burqa during the re-exam held on Sunday.

The candidate told reporters that she had appeared for the earlier NEET-UG exam on May 3 in the same attire and was not stopped at that time. She said officials first asked her to remove her dupatta and later insisted that she remove her burqa as well.

According to the National Testing Agency’s NEET-UG rules, candidates are allowed to wear articles of faith, provided they report to the exam centre well in advance to allow proper frisking.

The student’s father said they requested that a female staff member conduct the checking in a private area, but alleged that the request was refused.

Responding to the complaint, the NTA said the candidate was eventually allowed to enter the centre and appear for the re-examination.

Ajmer CO North Shivam Joshi said the issue arose due to a lack of clarity over certain rules and was resolved after senior officials provided clarification.

The NEET-UG re-exam was conducted across India after the May 3 examination was cancelled following a paper leak. Security and surveillance measures were increased for the re-test to ensure smooth conduct of the examination.