Pune, July 24 -- Two months after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) identified coaching classes in Latur as the key hub for the 2026 NEET-UG question paper leak, the education town renowned for its "Latur pattern" is witnessing a steep decline in student enrolments. Student protests that have engulfed the country have not left Latur untouched. The town, which sees an annual inflow of about 30,000 NEET aspirants at its coaching institutes, now reports a dip of 50% in enrolments as compared to previous years, says the Latur Private Tutorials Association, an umbrella body of town's 15 largest coaching institutes. A member of the association, Israr Sagre, said Latur's coaching industry, which typically attracts students from across Maharashtra, has been hit by unprecedented reluctance from aspirants and their parents to study at Latur following the paper leak controversy. June, the start of the academic year, is when high school students enrol for NEET and IIT JEE exams, which is peak season for Latur's coaching classes. "Admissions begin in early July before the SSC results are declared. Students joining Class XI, those entering Class XII and repeaters form a substantial part of our admissions. But the scenario is completely different this time," said Sagre. His own institute, Stark Classes, illustrates the scale of the change. Last year, 5,000 students enrolled with him for NEET preparation; but this year that number has dwindled to 1,700. Another prominent institute, Vidya Aradhana Academy, has also witnessed a sharp decline. Its owner, Satish Pawar told HT that his coaching class has seen a reduction of 20% admissions this July as compared to the 3,000 students who had joined for NEET preparation last year. As reported by HT in May, CBI crackdown on the paper leak had led investigators to Shivraj Motegaonkar, 47, owner of the town's biggest coaching class - Renukai Career Centre (RCC). So far eight of the 13 arrested for the paper leak are from Maharashtra who purportedly run a syndicate that involves coaching class operators, middlemen, digital distribution chains and desperate parents willing to pay lakhs for their children to clear these entrance exams. Motegaonkar is believed to have been connected with retired chemistry professor Prahlad Vithalrao Kulkarni who now runs a coaching class in Pune but the bulk of his teaching career was at Latur's Dayanand Science College and where he first befriended Motegaonkar. Kulkarni was an NTA-designated subject expert and paper-setter this year. It's CBI's case that Kulkarni had forwarded the paper to Motegaonkar who gave it to students at his coaching class. Their high-profile arrests in May this year dented the town's image as a reliable coaching hub. The impact extends beyond coaching institutes. Latur's coaching economy supports hundreds of hostels, mess operators, transport providers and other businesses that depend on the annual influx of students. Hostel owner Sayas Karad, who operates four hostels with a combined capacity of 1,000 beds, said occupancy has fallen by nearly 70%. "I had to reduce boarding and mess fees significantly to attract students. There are at least five small hostels that have ceased operations since they did not get any students. The student enrolment must swell fast for our business to survive," added Karad. According to coaching operators, many students who would traditionally have chosen Latur have instead shifted to Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad, and Nanded for NEET preparation. The controversy has also altered career choices for some aspirants. Latur-based student Vijaya Rao, who appeared for NEET for the first time after completing Class XII this year, chose not to appear for the re-examination following the cancellation of the May 3 test. "I had been preparing for NEET for the last three years studying over 12 hours a day. I was confident of qualifying. My assessment was that I would get at least 570 out of 720 marks... But the paper leak and subsequent announcement of the re-examination was too much for me. I did not appear for the examination..." She has now taken admission in Symbiosis in Pune to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). Another aspirant, Vedant Sathe from Beed, has abandoned his MBBS dream and opted for civil engineering at MIT, Pune. "Unlike the May 3 exam, I did not fare well in the NEET re-exam. I lost confidence and the heart to prepare again when the re-examination was announced. I decided to do engineering and told my parents about it," said Vedant. Students who have continued with NEET preparation say the controversy has left lasting psychological scars. Shruti Gadekar from Ahilyanagar and Nayana Kaldate from Dharashiv, both enrolled in the repeaters' batch at Vidya Aradhana Academy, said they had performed well in the original examination but suffered because of the re-test. "We had done extremely well in the May 3 NEET exam and were confident of qualifying. It was mentally and physically agonising for us when we had to prepare again for the re-examination," said Gadekar and Kaldate. The CBI has so far arrested 13 persons in the case, eight of them from Maharashtra-four from Pune, two from Latur and one each from Ahilyanagar and Nashik. Among the key accused from Latur are Shivraj Motegaonkar, owner of RCC, and Dr Manoj Shirure. Both are in judicial custody at present. Investigators have alleged that Motegaonkar paid Rs.5 lakh for the chemistry paper before circulating it among selected students. Shirure is also accused of facilitating access to the leaked paper for three students. Educationists maintain that the crisis is largely confined to the private coaching sector and has not affected the city's established junior colleges that prepare students for competitive examinations alongside the regular curriculum. Deelip Deshmukh, director of the Common Entrance Test Cell at Rajarshi Shahu Junior Science College, said nearly five colleges in Latur prepare science students for NEET and JEE without charging any additional coaching fees. "This is the real Latur pattern where the authorities of the colleges prepare their students for the exams without taking any additional money. The students of these colleges have been doing well over the years," he said. Latur has long been regarded as one of Maharashtra's strongest centres for NEET preparation. According to National Testing Agency data for 2024, 24,496 students from the district appeared for NEET, of whom 1,245 scored above 600 marks. As many as 376 crossed the crucial 650-mark threshold generally required for admission to government medical colleges, while 25 students scored above 700 and five crossed 710 marks. Together, Latur and Nanded accounted for more than 26.7% of all Maharashtra candidates scoring above 600 in NEET that year....