DEMAND FOR TOTAL REFORMATION OF COUNCIL

Guwahati, March 7: Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) today cancelled its Class XII biology examination, a day ahead of its scheduled date, after leaked copies of the question paper were found circulating in some parts of the state.

This is the second question paper, after physics, that the council has cancelled after it was leaked. It cancelled the physics examination on February 24 just an hour before the beginning of the paper, when copies of the question paper circulated on social messengers.

The biology examination has been rescheduled for March 19, from 9am.

Council chairman N.M. Hussain told the media this afternoon that the biology question paper in the market is not exactly identical to the original but contained many of its questions.

Hussain told The Telegraph that they came to know of the incident from a local television channel late last evening. "When our officials saw the news they called up the channel requesting for a copy of the question paper that they had claimed to have leaked. They mailed us a page. It was not the photocopy of the original question paper. But, it contained questions which were like the ones in the original question paper. We then decided to cancel the examination," he said.

Hussain said the council has formed a two-member committee to inquire into the matter with former bureaucrat L.N. Tamuli and former academic registrar of Gauhati University Jitaram Dutta.

Hussain said the two incidents have scarred the examination process. "We are very worried," he added.

The council had earlier filed a case with the criminal investigation department of Assam police after the physics paper got leaked.

Hussain said a principal of a school was later found to be the main culprit in the incident.

"We thought with his arrest such incidents would not recur. But this time, as we have heard, the biology question paper was being sold in Upper Assam," he said.

Hussain said they would file a fresh FIR with the CID on today's incident.

Sources said copies of question papers of chemistry and Assamese were also found circulating in the market but these were found to be fake.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, in a news conference, said the state government would find out the people behind the incident and take action against them.

Several district units of All Assam Students' Union (AASU) staged protests and will organise more in every district headquarters tomorrow seeking a high-level inquiry into the incident by a sitting high court judge. It demanded "total reformation" in the council so that students do not face similar incidents in future.

Talking to The Telegraph, AASU general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi said education minister Sarat Barkataky has not monitored the system the way he should have.

"The Class XII examination is a crucial one for the students. After this examination they choose their careers. Naturally, the thought that question papers of other subjects might have leaked as well has crossed the minds of students," he said.

Around 2.45 lakh students are appearing for the exam from 820 centres across Assam.

The exam began on February 15 and was scheduled to end tomorrow.