College named in mass cheating to get 100 examinees less

Nagpur: In sharp contrast to its own inquiry panel findings, the Nagpur University (NU) on Wednesday decided to allot 100 students per batch less to Bokhara-based Ram Krishna Wagh College. These students will now get another exam centre. A day before, the inquiry panel had reported to the administration that the college was in ‘compliance of norms’ prescribed for exam centres.
Meanwhile, a reluctant NU administration also slapped a show cause notice to the college over mass copying complaint during previous exams. On February 20, TOI had reported about videos showing rampant cheating during an university exam at the centre.

Initially, vice chancellor SP Kane had debunked the complaint and even raised doubts on the video though NU’s logo on answersheet, college code on question paper and roll number of students who were openly seen in possession of chits and books was seen in the video clips.

Surprisingly, the NU top brass had brushed the issue aside with no indication of any action. Last week, when the college was at the centre of controversy after it made over 1,000 students sit on the floor, the NU was compelled to put the college’s case before its Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC). These students were allotted a nearby underconstruction college building. No benches, fans and light were available in the incomplete structure.

On Monday and Tuesday, TOI visited the college and found the existing infrastructure and facilities inadequate to cater to large number of examines assigned to it by NU and state board. Besides the college, the trust also runs a school from the same premises.

After NU exam started from March 5, frequent clash of board and university exams left the college without sufficient space to accommodate examinees at its ground+3 building.

The NU is also scrutinizing the question papers which were unreadable. The aggrieved students are likely to get proportional marks. Students from BPharm and MCom had submitted copies of the question paper in which text wasn’t printed properly and figures were missing. The students had alleged that the college was compressing the questions to save paper.

Questions are also being raised on the answersheets of the students who were forced to sit on the floor. The inquiry panel is silent on statements of these students who were subjected to the harassment. In fact, the panel conveniently recorded statements of students who were present at the time rather than inviting those who appeared during March 5 and 21.