Mumbai University hands over exam house security to agency

MUMBAI: After the recent engineering answer sheet scam where answer papers were smuggled out of the university for students, the University of Mumbai has decided

MUMBAI: After the recent engineering answer sheet scam where answer papers were smuggled out of the university for students, the University of Mumbai has decided to hand over the examination house security entirely to a private security agency.

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Even as the bulk of security responsibilities at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Bhavan – the examination house at MU’s Kalina campus – had already been given to Tiger Guards Private Limited, the university decided to move its remaining in-house security staff to other departments.

It has now entrusted the private agency with the job of securing examination house, where examination papers and records are stored. “The onus of security at the exam house will now be on the private agency, which was hired through a competitive bidding process,” said MA Khan, MU registrar.

Ten staff members and 20 private security personnel jointly handled the security at the exam house. From Wednesday, security personnel of the private agency will solely guard the exam house.

The decision to let the private security take over the entire security apparatus at the examination centre comes a week after the city police arrested eight university staffers including Prabhakar Vaze, 50, a security guard, on the charge of tampering with the answer sheets of around 127 engineering students.

Last week, vice-chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh had told mediapersons that the university is facing a severe staff shortage.

“The state has added only eight new non-teaching posts in the past 30 years, even as the number of MU-affiliated colleges has tripled in this period,” said Deshmukh.