Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Panic and frustration gripped several exam centres in Indore on Sunday during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), as frequent power outages left thousands of aspirants struggling to complete their medical entrance exams in darkness.
The city witnessed unseasonal rainfall that severely impacted the power infrastructure, causing repeated blackouts during the crucial exam hours. At multiple centres, there was no provision for backup electricity or emergency lighting, forcing students to write the paper in dim or no light. In extreme cases, candidates were seen using candles to attempt the test.
At the government school located in Scheme No 78, the situation escalated when electricity went off three to four times during the exam. Principal Shabana Sheikh tried to mitigate the problem by providing emergency bulbs, but they lasted barely 10 minutes due to low battery. With classrooms lacking windows, natural light was also absent. After the exam, upset students and their parents staged a dharna, voicing strong objections to the mismanagement.
"I couldn't solve 15 to 20 questions because of the darkness," said Pawan Nagar, a student from Rajgarh. Another student, Sakshi, who was appearing for NEET a second time, lamented that she couldn’t finish her paper due to poor visibility.
Similar problems were reported from PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1, where 600 students appeared for the exam. There were no emergency lighting provisions and many candidates were left fumbling through the paper in candlelight.
"The rooms were completely dark and I had to skip several questions," said Kinjal Gupta, one of the examinees.
The chaos wasn’t limited to one or two centers. Reports of power outages came from schools in Musakhedi, Malwa Kanya and ILVA as well. At ILVA School, over 500 students appeared for the exam, but persistent power cuts—especially after 4 pm—left some rooms in complete darkness for nearly half an hour.
ILVA School principal Sanjay Mishra clarified, “There were no instructions from the NTA (National Testing Agency) about making arrangements for generators.” He added that while only a few rooms were completely dark, the lack of extra time to compensate for the interruptions drew ire from parents.
District collector Asheesh Singh acknowledged the disruptions. “There was no arrangement for electricity and power backup at some centres. The sudden change in weather led to unexpected power failures. We will ensure necessary measures are taken to prevent such incidents in future,” he stated.
