Punjabi University MSc paper ‘leaked’, VC Anurag Verma orders probe

PATIALA: Controversy is raging over the mathematics exam of MSc course at Punjabi University, Patiala, with reports of question paper having been leaked. While the university officials are denying that the question papers was leaked, vice-chancellor (VC) Anurag Verma has sought a reply from his staff and also the reasons for change in the date of the examination.
Earlier, the exam was to be held on May 9 but about a week ago the date was changed to May 12. On Wednesday, just a day before the exam is scheduled to be held, the paper was reportedly leaked.
Sources in the university claimed that the paper was leaked from a college in Sardulgarh sub-division of Mansa district, following which the VC pulled up the examination branch. The university is now contemplating whether to postpone the exam till further orders.
Sources said the examination was earlier fixed for May 9, but controller of examination Baljit Singh Sidhu, acting on plea of some colleges, forwarded a case to the dean (academics) to change the date to May 12. As the dean (academics) Professor Gurnam Singh was on leave, associate dean (research) Prof Rakesh Mohan Sharma held a meeting with the officials and made the changes in the datesheet.
However, Verma had not authorized Prof Sharma to act as dean (academics) in the absence of Prof Gurnam bringing the decision under a cloud. When contacted, controller of examination Sidhu denied that the paper had been leaked.
VC Anurag Verma, who is also the Punjab secretary (higher education), said he had received information about the paper leak and sought an explanation from the dean (academics) as to why the datesheet was changed. He said he had already marked an inquiry into the matter.
This is not the first case of Patiala University question paper being leaked. Last year BA (final year) sociology question paper had been leaked following which the then VC Jaspal Singh had cancelled the exam and ordered an inquiry. Previously, the English question paper was also leaked just two hours before the exam and social science research methods question paper had also gone viral on WhatsApp a day in advance.