Panshul Bansal, NEET-UG topper, explains why he was not at Jantar Mantar: 'Why protest when I could be studying at home'

Panshul Bansal, one of the toppers in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, said he stayed home and focused on his studies even as protests erupted across the country over the alleged paper leak.

Bansal, who is from Haryana, had jointly scored 715 marks along with Punjab's Aryan Gupta, but was placed second based on tie-breaking criteria.

Bansal, who secured All India Rank 2 with a 99.9999 percentile in the re-examination, told NDTV that although the cancellation of the original exam initially disappointed him, he later viewed it as an opportunity to improve his performance.

Panshul Bansal explains why he didn't attend NEET-UG protest

Bansal, who secured All India Rank 2 with a 99.9999 percentile in the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, told NDTV that although the cancellation of the original examination initially disappointed him, he eventually viewed it as an opportunity to improve his performance.

"I thought, why should I go to the protest? Instead, I could be studying at home and improving my skills and improving my score," Bansal told NDTV's Shiv Aroor.

His remarks come amid continuing protests over the alleged paper leak, with thousands of students taking to the streets and opposition parties demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Panshul Bansal meets Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday congratulated Panshul Bansal, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the NEET-UG 2026 examination, during a meeting with him.

In a post on X, Dharmendra Pradhan said: "Met Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who has secured AIR 2 in NEET UG 2026. Congratulated him on this outstanding achievement and wished him success in his career."

"His accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance and aspiration of India's young minds. I am confident he will contribute meaningfully to the nation's healthcare ecosystem through excellence and service," the Education Minister added.

NTA announces NEET-UG results

The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the NEET-UG 2026 results on Thursday.

The re-examination was conducted on June 21 after the May 3 exam was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak.

This year's examination saw nearly 20 lakh candidates appear at 5,440 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 international locations.

Of them, 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH and allied programmes.

The examination was conducted in 13 languages, reflecting participation from across the country.

Women candidates accounted for more than 58 per cent of the qualified pool and recorded a higher qualification rate than men, with 56.8 per cent of women who appeared clearing the exam compared with 55.1 per cent of men.

Most of the top performers were aged between 17 and 19 years. Among them, 138 candidates scored above 690 marks out of 720, with 93 per cent appearing for NEET for the first time.