Bindushree J. Pawar, a National Eligibility cum Undergraduate Entrance Test (NEET UG) 2026 candidate from Hangal in Haveli district, claimed that there was a mix-up in her Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) form. She said the confusion cost her a medical seat she had begun planning.Each result displays a score of -11. She originally thought it was 663.
The gap is too big to explain
According to Bindushree, the National Testing Agency (State Administration of Taxation) The answers released on June 21 showed that her score was 663 points. When the results were announced on July 16, every score sheet read -11.The size of the gap first aroused her suspicion. The expected negative score after 663 is not the kind of change that comes from a few wrong answers. To her and her family, this was a sign that something was wrong with the paper itself, not the mark.
OMR table does not match
Bindushree claimed that although the OMR sheet sent to her had her name, roll number and signature, the answers on it did not reflect what she remembered marking on the day of the exam.She said she had attempted 165 questions. The OMR sheet sent to her showed only 41 entries. She also said the pattern of black circles did not resemble her own handwriting style in marking her answers.Her father, Jagadish Pawar, said the family believed in the process until they saw the piece of paper. “When we checked the OMR, it appeared to be someone else’s,” he said. He added that Bindushree had been training for two years and had always performed well in practice tests, which made the results harder to accept. “We urge the NTA to send her original OMR form and give us justice,” he said.
one minute question
One of the details Bindushree pointed out was the timestamp recorded on the paper. Each entry time is shown as 1.56 pm, and each exit time is shown as 1.57 pm, with an interval of one minute.“I don’t understand how a student can complete the OMR form in just one minute,” she said.The form also bears her signature at 1.52pm, as well as the signatures of two invigilators, one at 1.56pm and the other at 1.57pm. The order of these times does not affect the number of answers candidates need to mark, she said.
second thumb impression
Bindushree also expressed concern about fingerprints on the sheet, which she said appeared to bear a second overlapping thumb mark. She insisted the signatures and other personal information on the form were correct, although she questioned whether the answer entries belonged to her.
No response despite multiple attempts
Bindushree emailed the NTA on July 22, requesting her original OMR form, which she believed would confirm her expected score of 663 points. She has yet to receive a reply. According to her, calls made by her teacher to the NTA hotline went unanswered.The Haveli district administration has forwarded her complaint to the NTA. So far, the agency has not responded to the specific discrepancies she flagged, including entry count mismatches, timestamp gaps and fingerprint issues.
part of a wider pattern
Hangal had been scrutinized for the NEET process before. The area was the scene of a symbolic civil disobedience movement held earlier this year to protest against alleged leaked papers related to the exams. Bindushree’s case now adds to a growing list of dissatisfaction raised by the district over the way the NEET UG process is conducted and verified.Currently, every result remains unchanged. Her family is still waiting for a response, and for the one document they believe will resolve the matter: the original OMR form.(Institutional investment)
