The II PU physics question paper going viral on social media, an hour after the exam commenced from Shanteshwara College in Indi taluk on Wednesday, made the district administration and the police swing into action, resulting in the detention of a student and a person who took a photograph of the question paper, while the exam was ongoing, and circulated it.
However, since the paper was circulated after the commencement of the examination, the Department of Pre-University Education has ruled out a paper leak. The administration has also issued a direction to suspend the supervisor on the charge of dereliction of duty.
As the issue became viral, Deputy Commissioner of Vijayapura Y.S. Patil and Superintendent of Police Anupam Agarwal rushed to Shanteshwara College for further inquiry. Mr. Patil said the incident could not be treated as a paper leak. “Since the paper became public about an hour after the exam began, it is not considered a paper leak. Therefore, re-examination will not be held,” he said.
Confirming that they had received instructions from the Primary and Secondary Education Minister himself to take necessary action on the incident, Mr. Patil told presspersons that they found out that Murugendra Hiremath, a student, and Bageppa Sagar, who took the photograph of the question paper, were involved in the act. Consequently, they were detained.
Suspension
Elaborating on the incident at a joint press conference with Mr. Agarwal, Mr. Patil said that Mr. Sagar had jumped the compound wall of the college to reach the exam hall, where Mr. Hiremath was writing the exam. “He asked the student to hold the question paper for taking pictures, which he later circulated,” he said. He said that since the exam supervisor, M.D. Narayankar, was also found guilty of dereliction of duty, the college authorities have been instructed to suspend her.
“During the exam, malpractice was noticed and seven students were debarred in the same institution and 13 were warned,” he said.
Mr. Agarwal said that the two persons, who have been detained, were being questioned further. The accused have been booked under Section 24(A)(examination malpractice) of the Karnataka Education Act, he said.
The II PU exam commenced on Wednesday and students wrote the physics and history papers.