20 medical students caught cheating in university exams in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: As many as 20 medical students were caught cheating during the ongoing annual examinations conducted under the Dr NTR University of Health Sciences in Vijayawada.According to officials, students of MBBS, postgraduate, dental and AYUSH streams were found using various unfair means, including chits, mobile phones and smartwatches. Of the total, 16 students were caught using chits, while two each were found using smartwatches and mobile phones. The examinations, which began in phases starting from April 2, cover undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses, along with dental and AYUSH programmes. Officials reported that 14 male and six female students were caught so far.The malpractice cases were detected through a newly established integrated command and control centre, introduced by the medical and health department in Jan to enhance transparency in examinations. The system enables real-time monitoring of students through a network of surveillance cameras installed across affiliated colleges.The command centre is connected to around 540 cameras installed in 28 medical, nine dental and seven AYUSH colleges across the state. Suspected cases are flagged in real time and communicated to on-ground observers, who immediately verify and take action.On Tuesday alone, three students, two from homoeopathy and one from ayurveda, were caught indulging in malpractice.Additionally, two invigilators were found to be violating norms by using mobile phones during examinations at private medical colleges. Following alerts from the control centre, their phones were seized, and disciplinary action was initiated. The university has decided to bar such invigilators from examination duties for three years.University authorities stated that a special committee will review all malpractice cases, and depending on the severity, students may face debarment from examinations for up to two years.