Mumbai: The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) board examinations ended on Friday but the state board has not taken any action against any student or staff involved in the multiple paper leaks. Papers of five subjects were leaked this year on the messaging service WhatsApp and the board has no clue about the number of students involved or the source of this leak, according to sources.
The state board tightened security measures for the last paper on Friday, following repeated complaints of paper leaks. Police bandobast was increased and none of the teaching and non-teaching staff were allowed to leave examination centres after the answer scripts were collected and bundled up.
Bhiwandi Police have arrested Sheikh Wazir Rehman, a resident of Bhiwandi, who operates a coaching class in the area, in connection with the paper leak. This arrest took place after a Bhiwandi based non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Samvad Foundation, repeatedly complained to the state board about images of question papers being circulated on WhatsApp an hour before the examinations.
Authorities of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) claimed they are waiting for the investigation report from the police. Sharad Khandagale, secretary of MSBSHSE, Mumbai division, said, “The investigation is in the hands of the police and we are still waiting for their report. Once we get the report, our committee will take action.”
The board has allowed all the students to appear for the examination as they have not been able to prove the involvement of any student in the leak. Khandagale added, “We allowed the three female students who were caught with the History question paper on their mobile phones to appear for the examination. We will take action only after we receive the police report.”
Members of the NGO revealed students had formed WhatsApp groups where they circulated the question papers. Govind Sharma, founder of the NGO, said, “Students had formed groups on WhatsApp where they circulated question papers for Algebra, Geometry, Science 1, Science 2 and Social Sciences subjects an hour before the examinations. Some students left the group after reading news of paper leaks in the media.”
