For months, the conversation around NEET-UG 2026 has centred on the paper leak controversy, the re-examination, OMR disputes and the continuing student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. This week, however, the spotlight shifted to an unexpected voice — the candidate who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2.

Here's a timeline of the key events—from exam day to the latest protest that led to a lathi charge and finally PM Modi's statement.

Panshul Bansal, a NEET-UG 2026 re-examination topper, stayed home and studied. He secured All India Rank 2 with a 99.9999 percentile. Bansal viewed the exam cancellation as an…

NEET UG 2026 AIR 1 Aryan Gupta spoke about the cancellation of the earlier examination, the challenges faced by aspirants and the student protests that followed. Gupta said the…