CCTV footage from a Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam centre on Friday shows a chaotic scene. A group of people are seen tearing up question papers in the storage area and stealing them from candidates during the exam.
What led the chaos?
One CCTV clip shows candidates rushing into a room where exam officials were speaking to others who were upset over a 40 to 45-minute delay in the exam start time. According to a police complaint, the exam officials reassured the candidates that they would receive extra time to make up for the delay.
Watch the video here:
However, the situation escalated when more candidates joined the crowd. As per media reports, they pushed past the officials and stormed the room containing the question papers. Some candidates tore up the papers, while others ran out with them in hand. Outside, the stolen papers were distributed to others who had gathered in response to the disturbance.
Disruption of Paper Distribution
The authorities explained in their police complaint that the sealed box of question papers was properly opened, and the papers and OMR sheets were distributed across various rooms. Despite this, when a delay of 40-45 minutes occurred in distributing the question papers, some candidates began causing a ruckus. The superintendent and invigilators tried to calm the situation by explaining that extra time would be given, but the disturbance continued.
Rumors and Further Chaos
As candidates grew frustrated, they demanded to know why the sealed box had not been opened in their own room. The noise attracted students from other rooms, who joined in, snatching and tearing the booklets and attendance sheets. Rumours spread that the exam had been canceled, leading more candidates to gather outside the centre.
Question papers were looted
In the midst of the chaos, one candidate stole a packet of question papers from the storage trunk, broke open the gate, and left the centre while waving the papers in the air. The crowd then moved through various rooms, damaging attendance sheets and other documents.
Reports suggest that the situation was eventually brought under control by the magistrate and police at the exam venue. The rest of the exam proceeded as planned, and 5,674 candidates completed the test under a controlled environment.
Officials explained that the large number of candidates at the exam centre made it difficult to start the exam on time, as all five floors of the centre were filled. The situation was further aggravated when some candidates objected to the sealed box not being opened in their own room, leading to further delays in distributing the question papers.
