The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports on the large-scale discrepancies in the results of Intermediate exams conducted by Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) and suicides by 18 students who have reportedly failed.

According to information reaching here, the Commission has issued a notice to the Telangana Chief Secretary, asking for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks including action taken against those responsible and relief, if any, provided to the aggrieved students and their parents.

The NHRC observed that the content of news reports, if true, raises the issues of serious lapse on the part of the authorities amounting to violation of human rights. Thorough probe into the matter is required not only to punish the guilty but also to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future, the Commission noted.

Protests

Further, the NHRC observed that the Inter goof-up has triggered a furore in the State and students and parents have been staging protests as about three lakh students have failed in the exams. According to media reports, hundreds of students have failed to get even pass marks, the Commission said.

The State Education Ministry, the BIE and the State government had initially dismissed the allegations but later gave in to the growing protests. The aggrieved students have also approached the High Court.

As mentioned in news reports, around 10 lakh students took the exams in March and about three lakh of them have failed, making it a mammoth task for the BIE to conduct supplementary exams for such a large number of students.

Entrance exams

Besides, time is also running out for students who have to appear in the entrance exams such as EAMCET, NEET, JEE and others. The role of a private company, which was given the contract for processing the results, has come out in the open for the goof-up. The work was done by Centre for Good Governance, a government agency, on previous occasions.