360 students expelled for cheating in intermediate examination

Patna, Feb 16: A total of 360 examinees, many of them girls, were expelled across the state for using unfair means in the Intermediate examination on Thursday. Besides, five persons in Jehanabad, Nalanda, Gaya and Darbhanga districts were arrested for allegedly impersonating as candidates, a statement issued by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) that conducts the examination said here.

Today is the third day of the intermediate examination. Of the candidates barred from the rest of the examination, Nawada district accounted for the most (59), followed by Gaya (35) and Patna (19), the statement said. In Nawada district around 32 girl examinees were caught cheating in centre number 2311 at Seth Sagar Mal Aggarwal Women college in the first sitting of Physics examination, the BSEB statement said.

The Board ordered cancellation of first sitting of test at the said centre in Nawada, the statement added. Superintendent of the centre, Assistant Superintendent have been put under suspension and removed from exam duty.

Along with them 17 invigilators of the Nawada centre have also been suspended and removed from exam duty. The intermediate or state plus two examination had drawn nationwide condemnation last year after the 'toppers scam' broke out in which Arts topper Ruby Roy had described her subject as "Prodikal science" in place of political science which, she had said, was related to cooking.

Like in the past two days, BSEB Chairman Anand Kishore tried to ensure cheating-free examination this time by spending the day making surprise visits to several centres where he himself frisked examinees. The state plus two examination are being held at 1274 centres across Bihar and would end on February 25.

PTI