An unrelated photo is being shared on social media with the false claim that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was photographed with a professor arrested in the The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak case
BOOM found that the woman in the photo is Nivedita Ekbote, Maharashtra’s Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) State Vice President and Principal of the Modern College in Pune.
The NEET entrance examination held on May 3, 2026, was cancelled on May 12 following allegations of paper leak. CBI has so far arrested Manisha Mandhare and 10 others in relation to this case. According to reports, Manisha Mandhare was a Botany professor at Modern College in Pune.
The Claim:
Pappu Yadav, MP from Purnia, Bihar, had posted the photo with the claim that the woman seen in the photo with Dharmendra Pradhan is Professor Manisha Mandhare, accused arrested in the NEET paper leak case.
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What We Found:
1) The woman in the photo is Nivedita Ekbote
Clues from replies on X suggested that the woman in the photo is Nivedita Ekbote. We then found the original photo posted on December 18, 2024. In the caption of the post, Nivedita mentioned meeting Dharmendra Pradhan during the Pune Book Festival, along with her parents. Other photographs from this event can be found on Nivedita’s Facebook account.
2) Nivedita Ekbote denies the viral claim
Ekbote is the Principal of Modern College and the State Vice President of the Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
Ekbote also refuted the viral claim on her X handle, stating that her photograph is being misidentified and shared with false claims.
We also found several news reports with photos of the NEET paper leak accused Manisha Mandhare. Mandhare's face does not match with the woman in the viral photo.
A BBC report dated May 17, 2026, on Mandhare’s arrest included a statement given to ANI by Ekbote, the principal of Modern College. Ekbote had stated that the accused professor had been working at the college for the past 24 years and was associated with the National Testing Agency (NTA) under confidentiality conditions.
