Bihar exam row: FIR against toppers

A special investigation team visited the Bihar School Examination Board and quizzed its chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad.
The team seized computers and hard disk from the BSEB office.

An FIR has been registered against four toppers of the Bihar school boards and three others on a complaint filed by the state education department for alleged irregularities in the exams.

"The FIR has been registered against seven persons by the Kotwali police station in connection with the controversy surrounding 10+2 toppers of the state board," Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) Shibli Nomani told PTI.

A special investigation team visited the Bihar School Examination Board and quizzed its chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad.

The team seized computers and hard disk from the BSEB office.

"Experts will examine the computers and hard disks to collect more information about the results of the examination," an official said.

According to a senior police officer, the SIT's preliminary investigation suggested irregularities in the toppers' results.

"Their (toppers) original answer sheets have been changed as a separate page pasted with answers for high scores," the officer said.

The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by the director, secondary education. It also includes unnamed officials of Bihar School Examination Board, Nomani said.

Those who have been named in the FIR are: The management of the Vishnu Rai College, Hajipur; the Centre Superintendent of the G A Inter College, Hajipur, where the exam was conducted; the Centre Superintendent of the Balak High School, Rajendra Nagar, Patna, where the exam papers were evaluated and the marks alloted, Nomani said.

Intermediate Arts topper Ruby Rai, Science toppers Shalini Rai, Saurav Shreshth and Rahul Kumar have also been included in the FIR.

They have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code including Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

"The government, prima facie, found some irregularities," Bihar Education Minister Ashok Choudhary said,"and hence, the FIR has been registered."

Additional inputs: M I Khan from Patna

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