After repeat cases, probe ordered into paper leaks

Bhopal: Amid growing concerns over alleged exam malpractices, the district collector ordered an investigation into the repeated leaks of question papers for Class 5 and 8 board exams. The collector instructed officials to collaborate with the State Cyber Headquarters and local police to trace the culprits. District project coordinator Ravish Srivastava said multiple complaints had surfaced over the leak of handwritten Mathematics and Sanskrit papers even before they arrived at exam centres. "Both leaked papers were handed over to the police," he stated, underscoring urgency to trace the source as the leaked papers bore Bhopal-specific codes.The controversy got bigger after fresh reports of a Class 8 Sanskrit paper leak. In the latest case, the question paper allegedly reached students a full day prior to the exam. A family member of an affected student claimed the circulated version matched the center code and question paper code later verified at a private examination centre.The board exams, conducted across 263 centres in Bhopal, feature nearly 35,000 Class 8 students alone. Aggrieved examinees have alleged that papers were openly circulating in advance, with some pointing to illicit sales on Telegram channels.