A clerk at Siddharth Inter College in Bhatora, Bidhoona, Auraiya, was caught assisting a student in cheating during the UP Board intermediate biology exam on Monday, according to officials.
The incident took place just before the exam ended when the clerk, identified as Kuldeep, was seen showing answers written on the attendance register to a student. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Garima Sonkiya, who was present at the centre, noticed the act and immediately intervened. She seized the student’s answer sheet and the register, following which two examination rooms were sealed.
Students in one of the rooms protested the action, and during the commotion, a student verbally confronted the SDM and knocked her mobile phone to the ground.
As news of the incident spread, a crowd of parents gathered outside the school, adding to the tension. The situation was brought under control after the arrival of district magistrate Dr Indramani Tripathi and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Abhijeet R Shankar.
An FIR had been registered against the college manager, principal, and the clerk at Bidhoona police station.
The college is managed by the family of Samajwadi Party MP from Etah, Devesh Shakya. His sister, Anchal Shakya, serves as the principal. Police have taken Kuldeep into custody for questioning, while Anchal has also been called for interrogation.
Meanwhile, Devesh Shakya denied any wrongdoing and termed the case a political conspiracy by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He claimed the college informed him that the student was merely tying the answer sheets and was not involved in cheating. Principal Anchal also dismissed the allegations, stating that the SDM had been present for three hours, making cheating unlikely. She suggested checking CCTV footage to verify the events.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Devesh Shakya denied any wrongdoing and termed the case a political conspiracy by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He claimed the college informed him that the student was merely tying the answer sheets and was not involved in cheating. Principal Anchal also dismissed the allegations, stating that the SDM had been present for three hours, making cheating unlikely. She suggested checking CCTV footage to verify the events.
{{/usCountry}}SDM Garima Sonkiya confirmed that the clerk was caught in the act and stated that an investigation was underway. The district magistrate assured that legal action would be taken against those responsible for disrupting the examination process.