More grilled for CBSE leak amidst protests

New Delhi: As Union education secretary Anil Swarup announced that the re-examination of the CBSE Class 12 Economics paper will be held on April 25 and that of the Class 10 Maths paper in July, angry students and Congress workers continued their protests for the second day on Friday by hitting the streets across New Delhi. Congress president Rahul Gandhi also stepped up his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the PM will now write a sequel to his book Exam Warriors to teach students stress relief after their lives were “destroyed” due to the paper leaks.

Mr Swarup said a preliminary inquiry had revealed that the leak of the Class 10 Maths paper had been restricted to Delhi and Haryana. Also, there was no leak outside India, hence no re-examination will be held outside the country, he said. The question papers are different for students appearing for the CBSE exams outside India.

The Delhi Police, which is investigating the leaks, has meanwhile questioned 10 more people and “interacted” with the CBSE’s controller of examinations over the leaks. It also wrote to Google seeking details of the email address from where the CBSE chief was sent an email a day before the exam on the Class 10 maths paper. A senior officer said the police had written asking Google to share details of the ID from which the email was sent.

The email reportedly contained images of 12 pages of handwritten question papers, which were posted on WhatsApp groups. The police is said to have  identified over 10 WhatsApp groups, each with 50-60 members, for further investigation.

The CBSE is learnt to  have given the police details of the examination centres sought by its crime branch. The police had sought details of the exam centres, their  superintendents and the contacts of banks where the papers were stored for safekeeping. The police said the board has given the details pertaining to both Delhi and Haryana to the investigators.

Facing flak over the CBSE leak, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday turned to students asking them to find a solution to this “challenge”. His comments came in the backdrop of the CBSE announcing the re-test of its Class 10 Maths and Class 12 Economics papers.

Mr Javedkar said: “I am facing one problem in the country. It is a problem of paper leak. So how to solve it is also a challenge. And I am throwing this challenge to the students. Some people can also work after Hackathon and give us suggestions,” Mr Javadekar said, while addressing students at an event to launch the finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 (Software Edition).

Mr Javedkar, however, said the paper leak problem was not a subject of this year’s Smart India Hackathon, an event where thousands of students would try to find innovative solutions to the problems faced by various ministries and departments.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, mocking the PM on Twitter, attached a photograph of Mr Modi playing with children. He tweeted: “PM wrote Exam Warriors, a book to teach students stress relief during exams. Next up: Exam Warriors 2, a book to teach students and parents stress relief once their lives are destroyed due to leaked exam papers.”

Meanwhile, continuing their protests, a large number of students and Congress youth leaders hit the streets of the nation’s capital against the CBSE on Friday, accusing the board of negligence and demanding immediate action against the guilty. While some gathered at Parliament Street in the heart of the city, members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) began marching towards the HRD minister’s residence, but were stopped. Student groups and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee also demonstrated outside the CBSE headquarters in East Delhi’s Preet Vihar, raising various demands, including an independent investigation.

NSUI leader Neeraj Mishra said: “The leaks exposed the capture of the highest academic institutions by the exam mafia under the watch of the Modi government as well as the abdication of authority by the HRD minister and the CBSE chairperson.” He said they would demand the resignations of Mr Javadekar as well as CBSE chief Anita Karwal.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia asked Mr Javadekar to call a meeting of state education ministers to discuss the CBSE paper leaks and to ensure that such “serious” incidents don’t recur. Mr Sisodia, who wrote a letter to Mr Javadekar, said there was a need to move beyond party politics on such issues. He said every time an exam paper was leaked — be it CBSE, SSB or DSSSB — the negative consequences were for the entire country, not just for any one government or one party.