51 students booked for mass copying in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, April 4: A case has been registered by Saurashtra University against 51 students for allegedly indulging in mass copying using mobile phones during an exam at a college in Gujarat's Amreli district.

The action was taken by the university after a video went viral on social media yesterday purportedly showing students indulging in mass copying using mobiles at K K Parekh Commerce College examination centre in Amreli.

The purported video showed students writing papers while speaking on mobile phones at an examination hall in the College, affiliated to the Saurashtra University. They were taking B.Com examination for the final semester.

Five teams, which were formed to carry out checks at the college after the video appeared, found 51 students taking help of mobile phones to write their answer papers, varsity's Vice Chancellor Pratapsinh Chauhan said today.

"Initially, we were not sure if it was the same college. After closely monitoring the video, we learnt that it was taken at this college. While a case of copying has been filed against 51 students today, we are also studying the video to identify more students," he said.

The VC said action will also be taken against college officials who could not ensure that examinations were conducted in a "fair manner". Reacting to the incident, Gujarat Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama assured to take strict action.

"Strong action will be taken based on report which will be submitted by four government officials who were sent to the spot to monitor the situation," he told reporters. He said the state government will take action to ensure that examinations conducted at colleges remain fair.

"We use CCTV cameras and tablets for Class X and XII board examinations to prevent cheating. If required, we will also use CCTV cameras at colleges," he added.

PTI