Uttar Pradesh Combined Pre-medical Test-2014 (UPCPMT-2014), was cancelled on Sunday morning just minutes before the entrance examination was about to start following paper leak.
Taking strong notice on the incident the Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav has ordered a high level probe. The responsibility of forming the probe committee has been given to the chief secretary by the CM. Sharing this information the spokesperson has informed that the state government has taken the matter seriously and the chief minister has stated that strict action will be taken against whomsoever is guilty in the entire scenario. The state government will not let anybody play with the future of students.
UPCPMT- 2014 was organised by King George’s Medical University and was scheduled to start from 9 am to 12 Noon. A total of 1,09,219 students were appearing in the examination to seek admission in state run medical and dental institutes on more than 1000 MBBS and few hundred dental seats. The exam was to be held at 213 centres in 15 different cities of Uttar Pradesh. Before the commencement of examination it was cancelled after the paper-leak in Ghaziabad - one of the 15 districts where exam was scheduled.
The exam will now be held on July 20, while the dates for results, counselling and joining at respectively allotted colleges will be declared later on.
Prof AK Singh, the controller of exam at KGMU informed that “at around 6:30 am on Sunday, a team comprising of officials of the district administration Ghaziabad with police department and KGMU officials found that someone had either tried to open the lock of the boxes kept in State Bank of India and Allahabad Bank. When the team detected that the box was damaged they informed CPMT head office KGMU lucknow.
Taking cognisance of the matter it was decided that in all the cities the alternative question papers kept at Allahabad Bank strong rooms may be used. Hence all the teams in 15 different cities were instructed to move to Allahabad Bank strong rooms. However in Ghaziabad it was found that one box in Allahabad bank strong room was also damaged. District Magistrate Ghaziabad was called to inspect it who confirmed his suspicion that boxes may have been compromised. The district magistrate Ghaziabad’s after reviewing the situation declared that boxes in which the exam papers were kept, were found tampered.
Soon after this information of cancellation was made public at KGMU website that flashed, “DM Ghaziabad has prima facie declare that there is tampering in the boxes of CPMT-2014 exam. The exam has been rescheduled on July 20.” “As per reported from district administration Ghaziabad about tampering in the boxes we have decided to reschedule the exam,” said Prof AK Singh.
He said Though there is no evidence of any paper leak but on the premise of damaged boxes and considering the sensitivity of the examination and on the suspicion of tampering of question paper boxes and in the interest of fair conduct of examination, it was decided that, the present examination should be rescheduled and today’s examination CPMT 2014 was called off at 9AM in all the centres.
KGMU vice chancellor, Prof Ravi Kant taking note of the incident has ordered formation of committee to investigate the matter and also give suggestions to avoid reoccurrence in future. Prof Kant informed that the KGMU administration was under discussion with Director, IIT Kanpur, Controller Examination, IIT Kanpur and official from Kanpur University equivalent to vice chancellor’s rank who may be a part of the committee. Prof Kant asserted that the UPCPMT examination should be made online to keep a check on any such incident.
Meanwhile, BJP has demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Party state president laxmikant Bajpai has demanded free lodging and boarding of the students appearing for the exams in the next date. “There is certainly an involvement of some higher-ups in the government hence only a CBI probe can find out the guilty ones,” he said.
Congress and BSP leaders too have demanded high level probe into the leakage. Congress spokesperson Amarnath Agarwal said that the government should not play with the future of the youths and the guilty people should be punished. BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya too demanded a probe into the matter. However, UP minister and Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Choudhury said here that the government is serious and no one will be spared found involved in the question paper tampering case.