NEET 2026 Exam Row: Hindu girl forced to remove Tulsi mala at Surat, Hijab allowed; Father protests but overpowered
According to a post with a video on a social media handle on X, “A Hindu girl was forced to remove her Kanthi (Tulsi) mala during the NEET exam in Surat.”
A Hindu girl was forced to remove her Kanthi (Tulsi) mala during the NEET exam in Surat.
Her father courageously protested: “I am the son of a Hindu and I am standing in Surat, not in Lahore, Karachi, or Pakistan."
He said — "You people cannot remove hijab and burqa, but you… pic.twitter.com/HK4LnFvHjO
— Team Hindu United (@TeamHinduUnited) May 3, 2026
“Her father courageously protested: “I am the son of a Hindu and I am standing in Surat, not in Lahore, Karachi, or Pakistan.” He said — “You people cannot remove hijab and burqa, but you have the guts to remove the Tulsi mala from my daughter’s neck!”” reported the handle.
Hindu candidate was forced to remove her Kanthi (Tulsi) mala during NEET exam in Surat, Gujarat
Candidate wearing burqa was checked during NEET exam but was still allowed to keep it on in Barmer, Rajasthan
If you are Hindu, any string you wear will be subjected to scrutiny pic.twitter.com/9XEDczh04V
— Tushar ॐ♫₹ (@Tushar_KN) May 3, 2026
Over 85,000 candidates from Gujarat appeared for NEET-UG on May 3, Sunday and over 23 lakh candidates had registered nationwide.
The entrance test is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to undergraduate medical and dental courses across the country.
The exam was held across 552 cities in India and 14 international locations. In Gujarat. But this shocking incident of discrimination against Hindu students has shocked everyone.
The exam was to be held from 2pm to 5pmafter 1.30pm, no candidates were to be allowed inside under any circumstances, as per orders.
The girl was forced to remove the symbol of divine blessings, a holy item for the worshippers of Bhagwan Vishnu and his avatars – be it Bhagwan Ram or Bhagwan Shri Krishna, and the student possibly considered it an essential piece of divinity.
Instead, the security demanded that she remove the tulsi (holy basil seeds) mala (necklace) while they allowed Muslim students to walk in without any objection to the entire body covered in a burqa, the father objected.
The NEET exam consists of 180 questions carrying a total of 720 marks. Each correct answer awards four marks, while one mark is deducted for every incorrect response. That is why the student in the Surat case began panicking that she was getting late for her exam and the entire issue was so unsettling that it would ruin her preparation.
This is not the first time that the NTA organisation’s rules have shown discrimination against Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, or for that sake any Indic religions.
This girl is sharing the trauma given by NTA in the #NEET2024 when her ‘Kalava’ was cut from her wrist.
Can't @NTA_Exams ban the ‘Hijab or Burqa’?
After all, what problem can there be with Hindu sacred threads when anything can be hidden & carried in a Hijab or Burqa?#NEET2026 pic.twitter.com/aHl7cQs8uD
— Samyukta Jain (@Drpooookie) May 3, 2026
A student – a girl again – who had appeared for the NEET exam in 2024 narrated her ordeal at the security gate on the exam date. She was forced to remove the holy red thread (kalawa) that Hindus wear after Pooja. “
She too asked why the ‘Hijab or Burqa’ were allowed but the kalawa was banned.