Pay Rs10k now, Rs30k once the PUC exam is done’
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA
Three persons have been arrested by the CCB police for the PUC question paper leaks that have resulted in throwing the exam schedule out of gear. Commissioner BG Jyothi Prakash Mirji said the accused have been identified as Ashwatha Narayana Gowda, Sudarshan and Ranjith. The trio was arrested on Wednesday.
They had the Physics question paper in their possession and were preparing to sell them among students. Three more accused— Puttaraj alias Naveen Kumar, Ajay Kumar and Shashikala — are absconding.
Gowda, Sudarshan and Ranjith did not collect the full amount from students when they sold photocopies of the question paper.
They took Rs10,000 as an advance payment with the remaining Rs30,000 to be collected after the exam. Mirji said Pre-University Education Board commissioner Rashmi V Mahesh filed a complaint at the Malleswaram police station on Tuesday after the Mathematics paper was leaked. On Wednesday, PU assistant director Subramanyam filed a case with Girinagar
police.Mirji referred both cases to the CCB police for investigation. Joint commissioner (crime, East) B Dayananda formed a team to nab the culprits.Later, a team headed by inspector SV Guled received information that some people had gathered at KR Puram to distribute the question paper. The police conducted a raid and arrested three persons. Interrogation revealed that the accused also sold question papers of Biology and Mathematics subjects, which were scheduled for March 16 and March 20, respectively. They charged Rs40,000 per student for a photocopy of the question paper. The accused received the original question papers from two persons, who hail from Shidlaghatta. The duo is absconding.
“Gowda collected the papers from the two main accused. We will arrest them soon,” said an officer.
The police suspect that some employees of the education department might have joined hands with them to make easy money.
Two question paper leaks in three days. After maths, it was the physics paper that was leaked. Thousands of II PU students poured into the exam centres on Thursday after the buzz the previous night that the physics paper has leaked. Their worst fears were confirmed in the morning when they learnt that the exam had been postponed due to the leak.
Over 50 students visited their centre at St Joseph's PU College. "I got to know about the paper leak through TOI, but came here to double-check. This is the worst that can happen to a student. I have had sleepless nights preparing for exams. Such instances kill one's confidence and will to study," said Arjun S, upset over the postponement of the examination.
This was the scenario at various exam centres in the city. Despite getting prior information, students chose to go to their respective centres to make certain that there was no exam on Thursday. "Had the PU department adopted more stringent measures, this nightmare could have been avoided. Rescheduling exams will not help us as it will only prolong our days of stress and tension,'' said Santosh Kumar R, student at Krupanidhi College in Madiwala. Nearly 100 anxious students visited the exam centre.
It was not only the students who were in for a rude shock, even parents were appalled by what seems to be becoming a recurring phenomenon.
"The series of question paper leaks is certainly not a good indication. This is the second paper being leaked in two days time and is already reflecting on the confidence level of students. Power cuts during exam season is enough of a problem to bother children. They should not be bogged down by rumours of paper leaks and then those rumours turning out to be real. It is high time the government and the PU department took tough measure to make sure that it does not happen again," said Henry Goveas, a parent at Mt Cramel College.
TIMES VIEW
The PU department's decision to reschedule the remaining exams is a body blow to students who have been preparing earnestly for them. Not only will they now have to redraw their plans for this but also work towards ensuring their performance in national-level entrance exams for medicine and engineering courses doesn't go for a toss. The officials in the PU department who allegedly connived with cheats who sold the question papers should be handed down stern and exemplary punishment so that it serves as a strong deterrent.
BANGALORE: Buffeted by repeated leaks of question papers and the anger of thousands of students who turn up at the exam centres only to go back disappointed, the PU education department on Thursday rescheduled most of the pending second year PU exams. The exams held till date are valid.
Of the 20 papers remaining, the dates of 15 have been rescheduled; the other five will be held on schedule. The latest blow for the PU department came on Wednesday night when its officials discovered that the physics paper had been leaked; this came less than 48 hours of the mathematics paper leak.
These exams were cancelled just hours before they were to begin, upsetting some 5.96 lakh students who had come prepared to their exam centres. The II PU exams began on March 15.
On Thursday morning, the science students woke up to the news of their second exam - physics - being postponed in a space of three days due to a paper leak. Unlike the maths paper leak that was concentrated around Kolar-Chikkaballapur , copies of the physics paper were available closer home, at Yelahanka.
Under fire from all quarters, the department recommended derecognition of four colleges, in Chintamani and Chikkaballapur, and suspension of 14 lecturers from Chintamani, Chikkaballapur and Srinivasapura for their alleged complicity in the paper racket. Police have arrested three persons and are looking for as many.
PU commissioner Rashmi V spiked rumours that the biology question paper, for which exam was held on March 16, had been leaked. Asked whether the English and chemistry question papers would be reprinted as there were rumours of a leak, the commissioner said: "That will be left to the department."
The authorities are clueless as to how the leak happened. The minister too echoed it. "We are unable to identify the point of leak and what the intention is. It was just unexpected. There's some racket involved, but I cannot make any guesses now. We have a foolproof system, but there's a weak point somewhere and which we are unable to find so far. It has never happened in the recent past. Now, we have taken enough precautionary measures to prevent any further malpractice, even for the upcoming SSLC exam,'' said Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, minister for primary and secondary education. PU commissioner Rashmi V obliquely blamed the tuition lobby and said: "Tuitions have become so competitive that government lecturers were selling papers."
Colleges recommended for de-recognition
Venkatadri PU College, Chintamani,Royal PU College , Chintamani,Pragathi PU College, Chintamani, Shanthinikethan PU College, Chikkaballapur
Lecturers suspended
M R Venkatesh, Kannada faculty, Government Girls PU college-Chintamani ;MP Venkatashiva Reddy, Chemistry faculty, Government PU college, Chikkaballapur ;N Vasu, Physics faculty, Government PU College, Srinivasapur;S Krishna Reddy, Chemistry faculty, Government Girls PU college-Srinivasapur ;KV Byra Reddy Biology faculty, Government Boys PU college-Chintamani ;KR Kalavathi, English faculty, Government PU college, Chikkaballapur Venkata Shiva Reddy C, Chemistry faculty, Government PU College, Sidlaghatta, Chikkaballapur;AN Geetha, Commerce faculty, Government PU college, Chikkaballapur ; M Venkatesh, Physics faculty, Government PU college, Chikkaballapur;Srinivasa Murthy, Physics faculty, Government PU college, Srinivasapur; AJ Chandran, Biology faculty, Government boys PU college-Chintamani ;KM Gopalappa, Economics faculty, Government girls PU college-Chintamani ;E Venkata Reddy, commerce faculty, Government girls PU college-Chintamani ;Ram Subba Reddy, chemistry faculty , Government boys PU college-Chintamani
No comments:
Post a Comment