NEET Turns Into Nightmare for Shimla Candidates: "Shivering Kids Sat in Silence for 6 Hours, Denied Even Water"...
Shimla, May 8 — What was supposed to be a crucial step toward their medical careers turned into a chilling ordeal for hundreds of NEET aspirants in Shimla last week.
In an appalling show of insensitivity, the National Testing Agency (NTA) enforced strict dress codes, forcing students into half-sleeved T-shirts and chappals amid freezing pre-monsoon conditions — while invigilators comfortably sat in sweaters and shawls.
The temperature dipped below 10°C that morning, lashed by cold winds and intermittent showers.
Yet, the NTA’s one-size-fits-all policy, designed for the plains, left candidates trembling in hill centers like Shimla.
Worse still, they were made to report at 11 AM for a 2 PM exam and were not allowed to carry even a handkerchief.
“My daughter was sneezing non-stop and trying to warm her fingers just to hold the pen properly,” said Suresh Thakur, a parent who waited outside the center. “But the staff wore sweaters and jackets. Why this double standard?”
Candidates say they were made to sit silently in the exam hall from 11 AM to 2 PM — three hours of enforced silence, no movement, no conversation, and no warmth.
“We weren’t allowed to talk, laugh, or even shift much,” said Meenakshi, a 17-year-old candidate.
“I kept rubbing my arms, blowing warm air into my hands. At one point, I thought I wouldn't be able to write.”
The ordeal didn’t end there. Candidates weren’t allowed to bring water, and when some asked, they were handed a dusty classroom bottle with only a quarter of water left in it.
“It was humiliating. We weren’t criminals. We were students giving a national exam,” said Rachit, another aspirant.
“We weren’t even allowed to bring a handkerchief. Is this discipline or torture?”
What’s even more shocking—coaching shops owners minting lakhs from NEET and IIT-JEE aspirants in New Shimla, Bharari, and Chhota Shimla and other places, didn’t utter a single word against this cruelty. Their silence screams complicity.
The same goes true for the government authority, private schools managements in Shimla not caring to write a word to NTA citing the typical climate in Shimla and high altitude centres in mountain states.
Will these children get justice as they are not getting the same level playing fields and comfort level as compared to their counterparts in the plains,
Parents and students are now demanding that NTA rethink its policies and adapt them to diverse geographies.
“T-shirts and chappals may work in Delhi, but not in mountain centers like Shimla, Manali, or Kullu,” said another angry parent.
Many have also questioned why reporting times are set so early if the exam begins only at 2 PM — especially in extreme weather conditions.
“NEET is hard enough. But here, it was the weather and the rules that became the real test,” a parent said.
This ordeal has sparked calls from civil society and student groups for the Ministry of Education and NTA to develop location-sensitive exam protocols, especially for states like Ladakh, Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of the Northeast.
“Our children are not statistics. They are humans. They need humane conditions to perform,” a local activist told Himbu Mail.
Will the NTA listen this time — or will next year bring another round of shivering silence?
COMMENTS:
1 NTA should be sued. Performance in examination to a large extent also depends on physical and mental state of students. One can not be at best of his or her performance while the body is trembling with cold-
MANOJ KUMAR, (Hydropower Expert).
2 YES you are right and parents r right.Even i face the same problem with my daughter.She was not in a good health and on the other hand the climate took a dangerous level shape sharp at 2.30 pm . She didn’t attempt with full confidence due to bad health with bad climate.
This was total punishment to call candidates in advance when every second was important for them before particularly this exam-
(NC PRASHAR, an Officer in HPSEBL)
3. Very much true. Such policy doesn't work everywhere. They should do a re-think on it for future. -Prof GR TEGTA , Former HoD Dermotology IGMC SHIMLA.
4. Since last 2yrs. NTA’s output is unprofessional. 😿
- SONAM LOTUS, LEH
5.There I was no light for 15 (fifteen) mintues in the NEET exam centre held on 04-05-2025 at Rajiv Gandhi(Kotshera)degree college, shimla (H.P).
No efford was made to restore the light during this period. The examination centre have their own D.G.set which could have been use in such type of situation
- VIJAY CHAUHAN, NEW SHIMLA
#NEET2025 #StudentsDeserveBetter #HillStateVoices #NTAAccountability
