Patna, Dec. 7 :     Bihar?s first daughter Misa Bharti?s MBBS marvel may have caused a furore in political circles, but her batchmates are not surprised. Rajiv Mishra, a student of Patna Medical College, barely lifted an eyebrow at the chief minister?s daughter topping the list. ?In our exam for the MBBS, the ranks of the really talented students begin from 11. The first 10 are reserved for the sons and daughters of VIPs,? he said. Echoing Mishra, Misa?s classmate Sanjiv Tiwari said: ?We were, in fact, expecting this. This happens every year. The topper?s rank in the MBBS exam is reserved for a VIP?s son or daughter. This time it is Laloo Prasad Yadav?s daughter.? ?This scandal has driven the last nail into the coffin of Patna Medical College,? said another student, a college hosteller. ?The politicisation of the academic world is a shame for everyone.? At Misa?s college, where an invitation to her wedding ? she is to marry this Friday ? hangs from the students? union bulletin board, her batchmates plan to demand a review and action against the ?caste caucus? that doctored the results. Teachers pointed out that this was not the first instance of VIP-pleasing. About a decade ago, a Congress chief minister had been surprised to discover that his daughter had stood first. Anticipating the reaction, he had asked the university vice-chancellor to put her in second place. An education minister?s brother, too, was awarded ?unusually high marks? a few years ago. ?The legacy has been passed on. The only difference is that this time the press has highlighted the story, which may lead to a court case,? said a student leader. Patna Medical College principal D.P. Sinha said: ?We did not conduct the examination. Ask the university authorities. Her papers were checked by external examiners, too.? Patna University vice-chancellor Nasir Hasan said there was nothing irregular about Misa?s result. ?She had been consistently scoring good marks,? he added. The claim was, however, contradicted by Patna Medical College teachers who spoke of the girl?s ?low intelligence?. Misa?s brush with controversy began even before she studied medicine. As a student of Patna Women?s College, she was barred from taking the intermediate exams as she did not have the requisite attendance. She had to shift to a less reputed institution to pass the intermediate grade. When she wrote the medical entrance test in 1993, Misa floundered miserably and her father, then chief minister, had to get her admitted to medical college. At Jamshedpur MGM College, where she got a seat through VIP quota, Misa was awarded marks above 70 per cent. In the term test preceding the MBBS exam, she scored 92 per cent and, finally, she passed with nearly 72 per cent, vaulting from the position of slow learner to topper. Misa has got distinction marks in gynaecology and ENT. The head of the ENT department, Dr B.P. Saha, said: ?I taught her and examined her papers, too. She can?t be called a brilliant student, but was improving ever since she came here from Jamshedpur MGM College.? The head of the department of medicine, Dr G.P. Sinha, tersely said: ?We are part of the ethos. No one can swim against the tide.?