Students clear UP varsity exams writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’, teachers suspended
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Two professors at Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, have been suspended following allegations of misconduct related to student exams.
The incident involves students allegedly receiving favourable marks for writing religious slogans, including "Jai Shri Ram," and unrelated content in their answer sheets.
The controversy arose when first-year students purportedly achieved high marks in their exams by including religious slogans and names of cricketers in their answer sheets. However, investigations revealed discrepancies in the marking process, leading to suspicions of corruption.
According to a student leader's letter to various authorities, some university officials were complicit in awarding passing marks to students who had initially received zero marks, allegedly in exchange for bribes.
An inquiry was initiated after irregularities were uncovered during the assessment of special exam copies, which resulted in significant variations in marks upon re-evaluation.
Vice-Chancellor Vandana Singh confirmed the findings, stating, "There was an allegation that students have been given more marks. So we constituted a committee. That Committee in its report said that students have been awarded more marks."
Regarding the inclusion of religious slogans in answer sheets, she mentioned, "Have not seen the copy with Jai Shri Ram answers but saw a copy in which I could not make out anything relevant based on which marks could be given to the student."
The Raj Bhavan intervened in the matter, directing the university to take appropriate action.
The copies of the answer sheets revealed instances where "Jai Shri Ram" appeared alongside unrelated content such as discussions on pharmacy and the names of cricketers, reported NDTV.
The two examiners involved, Dr. Vinay Verma and Manish Gupta, were suspended during a meeting of the examination committee.
Vice-Chancellor Vandana Singh stated, "Teachers have been warned so that such a thing is not repeated. The committee has recommended termination for the involved teachers. But there's a model code of conduct in place and further action will be taken once the poll code is lifted."
