Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore students attempting Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for class 12 finally breathed a sigh of relief as the board on Tuesday reassured students that the Class 12 Mathematics board exam question papers are genuine.
CBSE assured that their security has not been compromised, following viral social media posts claiming that a QR code printed on the paper redirected users to a music video.
The clarification came a day after the March 9 examination, when students in Indore were left puzzled and anxious by screenshots circulating online suggesting that scanning the QR code led to the song Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley - a well-known internet prank called 'rickrolling'.
In a statement, CBSE said board exam papers carry several security features, including QR codes that help verify the authenticity of the document if any breach is suspected.
“The question papers are genuine. The security of the question papers remains uncompromised,” the board said. It also acknowledged that in a few instances, scanning a QR code appeared to open a YouTube video.
However, by the time the clarification arrived, the posts had already sparked confusion among students who had taken the exam in Indore.
Aditya Sharma, a Class 12 student, said screenshots began circulating widely in student groups soon after the exam ended.
“People started sharing posts claiming the QR code opened a YouTube video. For a moment, many of us wondered if something had gone wrong with the question paper,” he said.
Another student, Riya Jain, said the rumours spread rapidly across WhatsApp and Instagram groups used by board exam students.
“Everyone was talking about it after the exam. Some students even thought there might have been a technical glitch or that the paper had been tampered with,” she said.
But several students who later scanned the QR code on their own papers said it only showed identification markers related to the question paper set.
Kunal Verma, another Class 12 student, said the QR code on his paper did not open any external link.
“When we scanned it later, it just showed letters used to identify the paper set. It didn’t open any video,” he said.
Despite this, the screenshots continued to circulate online, fuelling speculation among students and parents.
The incident has also prompted questions among students in Indore about how QR codes embedded in exam papers function and how a link to external content could have appeared in some cases.
While reiterating that the examination process remains secure, CBSE said the concerns raised by students and parents regarding the QR code have been taken seriously.
For many students, the viral QR code episode added an unexpected layer of speculation during an already stressful board exam season.
