Students ransack exam centre - Doors broken in cheating rage

Broken doors at Durgapur High School, near Raiganj on Tuesday. Pic::Nantu Dey

TT, Raiganj/Malda, Feb. 9: The last day of Madhyamik was marked by violence in a school near Raiganj where examinees broke doors and windows before the life science exam began.

In Durgapur High School, about 8km from Raiganj, examinees went on the rampage to "protest" against strict invigilation during Monday's mathematics test.

In Kalindri High School in Manikchak, about 25km from Malda town, examinees burst firecrackers on the campus after the test got over at 3pm.

When asked, many of the students shouted that they were "celebrating" how well they had cheated during the test.

Scores of youths were seen jumping up the walls of the school to supply chits of papers with answers written on them.

The authorities of the North Dinajpur school attributed the violence to "excitement" among the students as the exams were over.

Around 11am today, a group of students who were supposed to appear for their exam from Durgapur Girls High School went on the rampage.

According to local people, there were loud bangs and shouting coming from within the building. Some local people and some outsiders on the campus almost came to blows. A team from Itahar police station brought the situation under control.

The exams began under police presence and ended without any other incident.

Mihir Sarkar, a resident of the Durgapur area, said a section of the examinees entered the school around 11am and started the ransacking. "On hearing the commotion, I and other residents and shopkeepers in the area rushed to the school. We found that the students were breaking doors and windows. They ransacked the office several classrooms and toilets. When we protested the students threatened to attack us. They continued the violence for nearly half an hour. After that the police came and told us to leave," Sarkar said.

None of the examinees spoke when asked what had happened before the exam started. The school authorities, however, conceded that there was ransacking. "The students were happy that Madhyamik exams would end today. They merely indulged in come mischief in the heat of the moment. This is a small matter and we have not complained to the police. Such incidents do happen during the exams," said Soma Nag, the headmistress of Durgapur Girls High School.

In Manikchak school, when the exam got over at 3pm, examinees burst crackers.

Nazmul haq, the headmaster of Kalindri High School, said that the exams had passed off peacefully. "There was no trouble inside the classrooms. Some students were heard bursting crackers outside after the exams were over," Haq said.

Sources in the school said that examinees were only allowed to enter classrooms with only their pencil boxes and writing boards.