10-year-old taking Sainik School exam for another child arrested in Rewari

CHANDIGARH: In a shocking development, a 10-year-old boy was arrested by the Haryana police in Rewari for impersonating another minor in the entrance examination for admission to Sainik Schools on Sunday.

The boy was caught after he wrote his own name on the OMR answer sheet instead of the boy he was impersonating.

The principal of his school and two other teachers have also been arrested in the case. The actual candidate and his parents yet to be questioned or arrested by the police.


This is first case in Haryana involving such a young child even as desperation of Haryanvi youths to crack competitive tests through unfair means has already earned notoriety across the country.

According to the FIR registered at Rewari’s Model Town police station, the all-India entrance examination for getting admission to Class VI of Sainik Schools was held on Sunday at the centre in Government Girls College, Sector 18, Rewari.

The three adult accused are in police custody.

Teachers of a pvt school part of impersonation conspiracy

When the examination started, the invigilator realized that one of the candidates, around 10 years old, had written a different name on the OMR sheet instead of the name on the list of candidates.

“Suspicious about the issue, the controller of the entrance examination at the centre asked the minor boy to explain the reason for writing somebody else’s name on his answer sheet. The boy immediately revealed the truth. On his statement, the principal of a private school and two teachers who were allegedly involved in the impersonation plan were also called to the spot and arrested,” Brijender Singh, SHO, Model Town police station in Rewari, told TOI.

The SHO revealed the police have procured details of the boy who was actual candidate for the entrance examination but were yet to reach him. As of now, the SHO added, the police have discovered involvement of private school staff in the impersonation conspiracy while any involvement of the parents of the two minor boys is subject to investigation.

The accused teachers, who were running a private school in Rewari’s Kanina town, have been identified as Lalit Bhatia, Jai Prakash alias Tony and Maha Singh. The three adult accused are in police custody for investigation and the minor boy has been sent to an observation home for juvenile offenders in Hisar.

The original candidate for the entrance examination wanted to get admission to Class VI of the Sainik School in Rewari. The examination was organized by the All-India Sainik Schools Society across the country and the schools were to be allotted to the candidates as per their choice and merit.

Boys born between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2009 were eligible for the admission. The one-and-a-halfhour examination covered multiple choice questions on mathematics, general knowledge, language, and intelligence up to the level of Class V. The result was to be declared on February 4.