Over 1m aspirants hit as BPSC cancels exams

BPSC cancelled AEDO and APSWMO exams due to cheating allegations affecting 1.1 million candidates; new exam dates are yet to be announced.

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) had cancelled the examinations for assistant education development officer (AEDO) and assistant public sanitation and waste management officer (APSWMO), officials said on Saturday, adding that the commission didn’t confirm the new exam date.

Over 1m aspirants hit as BPSC cancels exams

The decision would affect nearly 1.1 million aspirants. The post of AEDO under the education department was created for the first time in the state, for which over 1 million aspirants had applied. Candidates have now been advised to keep checking the BPSC website for the latest updates on the new exam date.

The action followed allegations of malpractice at the exam centres, said people in the know. However, BPSC clarified that during investigation, no concrete evidence of question paper leaked or going viral was found, but the attempt to affect the exam’s sanctity was taken seriously.

The Commission said some anti-social elements and candidates allegedly tried to misuse bluetooth devices and similar tools at a few centres. FIRs and punitive measures had already been initiated in these matters. Reports of the respective centre superintendents had been received, and the Commission’s IT cell was investigating.

A biometric staff member and a candidate were arrested during the APSWMO examination held at AN College here on April 23. The arrested staff member was identified as Anshupriya from Vaishali, while the candidate was Raushan Kumar from Nalanda. Upon searching, chits with answers to a specific series of question papers were recovered.

In the AEDO exams, 12 separate FIRs were registered with police stations in seven districts in connection with alleged cheating. So far, police have arrested 39 persons including 32 aspirants while the EOU has taken up four of the FIRs for further investigation. Although the mastermind has not been traced.

The BPSC also blacklisted Jaipur-based private company M/s Sai Educare Pvt Ltd agency and seized its bank guarantee. The company was responsible for biometric attendance, such as thumb impressions, faces and retinas during the exams. Additionally, they were responsible for scanning the OMR sheet’s barcode.

“The Commission sought a reply from the agency after glitches in the exam. The agency’s response was not satisfactory. The allegations were found to be true based on evidence, complaint and FIR. The Commission also banned 32 of the arrested candidates who will now not be able to appear in any upcoming exam of the Commission,” a communique stated.