Nearly 300 persons were arrested in the anti-cheating operations across Bihar, even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar admitted that reports of rampant use of unfair means in the ongoing matriculation examination had sullied the image of the state.
"Pariksha me kadachar ke karan jaghasiyi hui hai... hamne kadachar rokne ke liye kaarwaai ke aadesh diye hai (reports of cheating in examination has drawn bad name to Bihar... I have ordered to stop cheating in ongoing matriculation examination)," Nitish told media persons.
His order for ensuring cheating-free matriculation examination had its impact on Saturday with the police arresting nearly 300 persons from outside examination centres so far.
Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey said that 150 persons, including parents and relatives, have been arrested from different exam centres in Vaishali alone.
Vaishali had gained notoriety for mass scale use of unfair means in matriculation examination.
Visuals of parents climbing three to four storey buildings to provide chits to their wards were from this district. Examination was cancelled in two centres in Mahnar in Vaishali district on Friday and in two other centres at Saharsa and Nawada.
The rest of the arrests have been made from Araria (45), Madhubani and elsewhere, the ADG said.
Additional BMP (Bihar Military Police) personnel have been deployed in Vaishali and Nawada for conduct of fair examination, Pandey, who is in touch with SPs of all the districts himself, said.
Principal Secretary Education R K Mahajan said that there has been tremendous impact of strict instructions for holding fair examination on Saturday.
Deployment of force has been increased outside exam centres and District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police themselves are on patrol, Mahajan said.
Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh spoke to all DMs and SPs through videoconferencing last evening and directed them to initiate strict measures to stop cheating in matriculation examination.
Taken to task by the Patna high court over large-scale copying in ongoing matriculation examination and widespread criticism, the Bihar government had on Friday swung into action and cancelled examination at four centres and took seven policemen into custody for aiding in cheating.
Visuals of widespread copying at exam centres across the state and Bihar and Education minister P K Shahi's argument that state alone could not stop it had come as a rude shock.
A total of 14.26 lakh students are appearing for the exams at 1,217 centres in the state that began on March 17.
Image: Youths climbing the building of an examination centre to help the candidates in cheating, by passing notes through the windows, during a Matriculation examination in Hajipur. Photograph: PTI Photo