Amid CJP protests, NEET toppers say cancellation was an 'opportunity' to perform better: '...happened for the best'
Panshul Bansal, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, recalled how he was initially "despaired" after the exam was
Panshul Bansal, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, recalled how he was initially "despaired" after the exam was cancelled but later viewed it as an "opportunity" to perform better. "The conduct of exams is not in your hands. So, look at it this way — what happened, happened for the best. Take it as an opportunity to perform even better and score higher," Bansal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Bansal's remarks come at a time when the national capital is witnessing protests demanding education reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. Bansal, a student of KR Mangalam World School in Greater Kailash, New Delhi, scored 715 marks in the NEET UG re-examination. The original NEET UG exam for undergraduate medical admissions was held on May 3, but was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of a question paper leak.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the case. Also Read | Wangchuk claims govt assured him Edu min's resignation would be considered 'Crying would serve no purpose' "...Initially, I was sad and despaired that the exam had been cancelled. Then I told myself that crying would serve no purpose. So, I pulled myself together and resumed the routine I had followed before the first NEET exam. I thought I should give it my all and see whether God had given me an opportunity to score better because He knew that I could score better. My family supported and comforted me throughout," Bansal said. He added, “When the paper is cancelled, you need a lot of resilience and must not give up. That is important.” AIR 1 Aryan Gupta's message to aspirants Aryan Gupta, who secured AIR 1 in the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, echoed similar sentiments, saying his parents were his biggest source of emotional support and that he viewed the re-examination as a second chance to give his best.
Sharing a message for future aspirants, he said, “To the students who will appear for the exam later, I would say — trust your teachers and follow their guidance because they know much more than you do... Give your best every day, and keep working consistently and with discipline. Things will work out on their own.” Also Read | CJP Protest: Abhijeet Dipke urges Sonam Wangchuk to end fast According to a report by Hindustan Times, at least 11 aspirants reportedly died by suicide during the 46 days between the cancellation of the NEET UG 2026 examination over the paper leak controversy and the scheduled re-test on 21 June. Who is Panshul Bansal? Panshul Bansal, a 17-year-old student from Haryana, secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the NEET UG 2026 re-examination after scoring 715 out of 720 marks and achieving a 99.9999 percentile.
The BriefWire