NHRC notice to Telangana govt over reported 'goof-up' in intermediate exam results

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Telangana government over the reported goof-up in the intermediate exam results which allegedly led 18 students to commit suicide since March this year.

The commission said it has taken cognisance on its own over media reports that 18 students, who had failed in the examinations conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education, have allegedly committed suicide amid massive protests in the state.

"The commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary, government of Telangana, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks, including action taken against the guilty and relief, if any, provided to the aggrieved families," the commission said in a press release.

It said that about three lakh students have reportedly failed in the exams and they, along with parents, are staging protests there.

"It has observed that the contents of the news reports, if true, raise the issues of serious lapse on the part of the authorities amounting to violation of human rights," the release said.

"The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that 18 students have committed suicide since March 2019 who have reportedly failed in the intermediate examinations conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), as large-scale discrepancies have triggered furore in the state," the commission said.

Referring to media reports, the commission said several students failed to even get pass marks in the examination and aggrieved students have also approached the high court there.

"As mentioned in the news report, around 10 lakh students took the Class 12 exam in February 2018, and nearly 3.5 lakh have failed, making it a gigantic task for the board to conduct supplementary exams for such a large number of students," it said, adding that time was also running out for students who have to appear in competitive entrance exams like NEET and JEE.