UP students pass exam after writing 'Jai Shree Ram' in answer sheets

Two UP state university professors face action after students were found passing exam by writing 'Jai Shri Ram' and cricketers' names on their answer sheets

Two professors at Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, have come under fire over alleged irregularities in grading answer sheets, reported Aaj Tak.

The professors allegedly awarded marks to DPharm students who had written ‘Jai Shree Ram’, cricketers’ names, and other irrelevant content instead of answers.

The issue surfaced following an RTI filed by student leaders Uddeshya and Divyanshu Singh, who accused the professors of accepting bribes from students in exchange for passing grades. They requested the roll numbers of around 18 DPharma students to review their answer copies. Additionally, they lodged a complaint with the Raj Bhavan, and attached an affidavit with it.

Consequently, the Raj Bhavan initiated an investigation on December 21, 2023. The university administration formed a committee to probe the matter. Upon re-evaluation of the answer copies by external professors, a significant contrast emerged in the marks initially awarded by the professors and those reassessed. In one instance, while the accused professors had awarded 52 and 34 marks to certain copies, external evaluators deemed them worthy of only zero and four marks.

Responding to the incident, Vice-Chancellor Vandana Singh ordered the dismissal of two professors, Vinay Varma and Ashish Gupta.

Earlier, Indian Police Service officer Arun Bothra took to X, formerly Twitter, alleging that a student had kept money inside an answer sheet, accompanied by a plea to the examiner for passing marks. Bothra also shared a picture of the notes enclosed within the answer sheet, expressing concerns about the broader implications for students, teachers, and the educational system. 

“Pic sent by a teacher. These notes were kept inside answer sheets of a board exam by students with a request to give them passing marks. Tells a lot about our students, teachers and the entire educational system,” Bothra wrote in his post on X. The post received numerous responses from people, with many claiming that it has happened to them, too, or their known ones.