Last updated time: 19 March 2023, 13:35 IST
Chiranjib Bhattacharya said the Council is tracing the source of the question paper’s circulation on WhatsApp and will report back to the government (Getty Images)
The West Bengal Board of Higher Secondary Education, which conducts the exam, said it could not be called a paper leak and described it as an act of hooliganism.
Two-and-a-half hours after the test began on WhatsApp on Saturday, two-and-a-half-hours after the start of the test, the alleged images of questions from two pages of the Class 12 state board exam in Life Science surfaced.
The West Bengal Board of Higher Secondary Education, which conducts the exam, said it could not be called a paper leak and described it as an act of hooliganism.
Council chairman Chiranjib Bhattacharya said some vested interests must have circulated the picture of the question paper after it started, when it was about to close.
“What does it matter if the pictures are circulated two and a half hours after the exam starts?” Candidates can leave the exam hall till then and if someone clicks a picture of the two pages outside the venue and spreads them on social media, it will not affect the conduct of the exam in any way,” Bhattacharya told PTI.
He appealed to the “bullies” to desist from such “childish pranks” and help ensure smooth conduct of the ongoing examinations in the interest of every candidate.
Bhattacharya added that CCTV cameras at 2,349 locations and use of radio frequency devices at some of the more than 200 sensitive locations to detect the presence of any electronic devices made the question paper leak impossible.
Nevertheless, the Council is cautious, he said.
Sensitive locations are located in various districts and the highest is in Malda.
Bhattacharya said that the Council is tracking the source of question paper circulation on WhatsApp and will report to the government.
While there have been reports of question paper images being shared on WhatsApp this year, 2019 and earlier in class 10 state board exams, this is the first time such an incident has been reported recently during the Higher Secondary (HS) exam.
HS exams started in West Bengal on March 14.
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(This story was not edited by News18 staff and was published by a syndicated news outlet)
