MOTIHARI: The East Champaran district administration confirmed that a question paper that went viral on social media was identical to the one distributed to students on the first day of the Bihar School Examination Board’s Matriculation exams on Thursday.
According to sources, as many as 16 questions from the Math paper went viral on social media shortly before the first sitting, casting doubt on the administration’s claims of conducting fair exams.
Taking the matter seriously, East Champaran district magistrate Shirshat Kapil Ashok appointed a three-member committee to conduct an investigation into the viral question paper. “They will enlist the assistance of the cyber cell in tracing down the actual platform and individuals responsible for the leak,” Saurabh Suman, Sadar sub-divisional officer, said.
While claiming that the examination was conducted fairly and peacefully, Saurabh told this reporter, “We received a question paper at approximately 8.53am, before aspirants were permitted to enter the examination hall. The investigation has begun, and the perpetrators will be identified shortly.”
Notably, the question paper was circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms. Following initial confusion over whether the paper was genuine or a forgery, district administration investigations established that the Math paper making the rounds on social media was genuine.
The Matriculation exams, which began on Thursday under strict security and Covid-19 safety guidelines, will end on February 24. Around 80,000 students are appearing for the exams at 59 centres in Motihari.
Additionally, steps have been taken to combat cheating and other malpractices. The centres are supervised by a super zonal magistrate and police officers. Examinees are frisked twice upon entering the centres, and are not permitted to bring calculators, cellphones, Bluetooth devices, or earphones, as well as shoes or shock absorbers.
