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Around 300-400 BPSC candidates boycotted the exam held on Friday, claiming that the question paper was leaked before it started.
Some BPSC candidates caused a ruckus after the exam was delayed on Friday. (Image: X)
BPSC Exam Row: Chaos unfolded at the site of an exam centre of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) in Patna on Friday, showing a group of people tearing question papers in the room and snatching them from other candidates who were taking the test.
The BPSC exam had been at the centre of rumours of an alleged paper leak that sparked an uproar at an exam centre on Friday. Around 300-400 candidates boycotted BPSC’s 70th Integrated Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024 held at Bapu Examination Centre at Kumhrar in Patna alleging the question paper was leaked even before the examination started.
A CCTV footage showed some candidates rushing into the exam room, where officials were talking to some of the candidates upset over a 40 to 45-minute delay. The candidates then pushed aside the officials and tore question papers from the box, while others ran out with them and distributed them to others who had gathered them. Some candidates even snatched question papers from other aspirants.
आधुनिक युग में PCS जैसी परीक्षा को स्वघोषित सबसे बड़े एग्जाम हाॅल में ऐसे कंडक्ट करवाई थी बिहार सरकार!!देखिए हंगामा करने वाले उपद्रवी अंदर हाॅल में अभ्यर्थियों के बेंच से कैसे पेपर उड़ा रहे थें।#BPSC #BPSCExam #BPSC70THexam #bapuexamcentre #BPSC #Bihar #BPSC_70th pic.twitter.com/lYM8CFRAWV
— Thakur Divya Prakash (@Divyaprakas8) December 15, 2024
Authorities filed a police complaint, saying they had promised candidates with extra time due to the delay. “When there was a delay of 40-45 minutes in distribution of the question papers, some candidates started creating ruckus despite the superintendent and invigilators explaining that extra time would be given for the delay,” NDTV quoted the police complaint filed by authorities.
Exam officials said the candidates demanded to know why the sealed box of question papers was not opened in their room and claimed the papers were leaked. Following the commotion, other students came into the room and started snatching and tearing the booklets and attendance sheets.
“One of those candidates looted a packet of question papers from the (storage) trunk, broke the gate and went out with a group waving it in his hand. The candidates went to many rooms and damaged attendance sheets and other forms,” the complaint read. The situation was eventually brought under control by the police and the management.
Candidates Allege Irregularities In BPSC Exam, Commission Denies
BPSC candidates held a protest outside BAPU Exam Centre in Patna on Friday, alleging irregularities in the exam. Candidates alleged that the question papers had been leaked and that there were delays in distributing the papers.
“Half of the students did not even get the OMR sheet or the question booklet for 15 minutes…. Many got the question booklet one hour late, and it was snatched away in 10 minutes… Where the capacity of students is more than 200, why were only 175 question papers brought?” a candidate told news agency ANI.
The candidate further claimed that the seal of the question paper booklet was torn, one of the candidates’ answer sheets was found in the toilet and teachers had threatened the students to remain quiet about the irregularities. However, BPSC chairman Parmar Ravi Manubhai denied any complaints of irregularities and said the exam was held fairly in 912 centres across Bihar.
“However, in one centre in Patna, some of the candidates snatched question papers from the invigilators and stormed out of the examination hall screaming that the paper had been leaked. Snatching of question papers from invigilators and showing those to outsiders is tantamount to looting public property. Police action will be initiated against these persons who seem to have acted as a part of conspiracy… we are examining CCTV footage to identify them,” Parmar said.
Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh reached the examination centre upon hearing about the commotion. “Authorities are in the process of registering an FIR against those who attempted to take law into their hands inside and outside an examination centre at Kumhrar,” he said.
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The DM further said there was a delay in the distribution of question papers as the boxes of papers had only 192 sets against the seating arrangements for 272 students in each hall. This delay was objected to by the candidates who snatched question papers from invigilators and alleged that the paper was leaked.
Following this, around 300-400 students came out of their examination halls alleging that the paper was leaked and boycotted the exam, the DM said. “The remaining candidates of other examination halls in the same centre took the exam and came out of the halls only after 2 pm. The district administration will submit its report on the incident to the BPSC for appropriate action,” he added.
Bihar Police Launches Investigation
Meanwhile, Bihar Police have launched an investigation into the allegations made by students regarding a possible question paper leak. Deputy Inspector General of the Economic Offences Unit (EOU), Manavjit Singh Dhillon, stated, “We are gathering details and closely monitoring the situation.”
The combined (preliminary) competitive examination of the BPSC was held on Friday to recruit candidates for Group A and B posts, with a total of 5,674 candidates appearing for the examination.
Earlier, BPSC aspirants staged a protest in Patna, opposing alleged rule changes for the preliminary exam and requesting an extension of the exam date. However, the BPSC clarified that there were no changes in the examination process.
(with inputs from agencies)
