Kolkata: WBCHSE files complaint against social media group

Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has filed a formal complaint with the police after reports of a social media group claiming to offer original question papers for the ongoing Higher Secondary (HS) Examinations in exchange for money.

The issue came to light when a YouTube channel reported receiving a link on Friday morning. The link led to a social media group offering the Physics question paper for Rs. 5,000. The YouTuber also shared screenshots, claiming that similar offers had been made before the Bengali exam on March 3 and the English exam on March 5.

After receiving this information, the WBCHSE acted quickly and lodged a complaint with the police. Chiranjib Bhattacharya, president of the WBCHSE, confirmed that the question papers shared in the group were fake. “I was informed about this on Thursday night. After a preliminary investigation, we can confirm that these question papers are not real. The QR code placement and the code itself are incorrect. No Physics question paper was leaked before the exam. It is not possible for a paper to be leaked before the exam starts with our current system,” Bhattacharya said.

This is not the first time such incidents have occurred. Similar reports were made last year, with social media groups claiming to have access to original question papers for money, but these claims were found to be false. Bhattacharya stated that these groups were likely trying to make easy money. He added, “If the group exists, it is simply a way to earn quick money. The police will investigate the matter further,” emphasising that no question paper had been leaked.

Meanwhile, Friday’s exams, including Physics, Nutrition, Education, and Accountancy, were held without issues. However, two students were caught with mobile phones during the exam. One student of Dr. I B Thapa Nepali Vidyalaya in Siliguri was sitting for the Physics exam at Margaret (Sister Nivedita) English School, while another student from Rasmoni Balika Vidyalaya was appearing for the Education exam at Baruipur Girls’ High School in South 24 Parganas.

As a result, their exams for this year were cancelled, and their admit cards and phones were seized.