First year D Pharma students at the Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur who had written ‘Jai Shri Ram’, the names of prominent cricketers and other irrelevant details in the answer sheet, passed their exams with flying colours. But then the law caught up.
Following this, two professors at the University, Dr Vinay Verma and Manish Gupta, were suspended for allegedly extorting money from students in exchange of marks on answer sheets written with Hindutva slogans, songs, and other irrelevant details.
The incident first came to light after two student leaders filed an RTI and sought re-evaluation of exam papers.
Student leader Divyanshu Singh had alleged in a letter sent to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Governor and Vice Chancellor that with the connivance of some officials of university, even the students who got zero marks were passed by giving them more than 60 percent marks.
The Governor’s office had consequently ordered an investigation into the matter in late December last year.
A committee formed by the university administration found a stark disparity in marks after the papers were re-evaluated by external professors. Two of the 18 students saw their marks drop from 52 and 34 to zero and four after external evaluators went through the copies.
