Morena tops cheating cases in MP board exams:Bhopal ranks second despite CCTV monitoring and flying squads

The story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, popularised by the film 12th Fail, is often cited as an example of how honesty can change a life. Around 25 years ago, in Morena, 17-year-old Manoj was appearing for his Class 12 examination with chits prepared for cheating. Just then, an honest police officer reached the exam centre and stopped him. Manoj failed in Hindi that year, but the incident planted the seed of honesty and hard work in him. He later cleared Class 12, continued his studies, cracked the UPSC exam and became an IPS officer of the 2005 batch. Ironically, the same Morena region has recorded the highest number of cheating cases in the state in this year’s board examinations. Morena tops cheating cases, Bhopal second Morena has reported the highest number of cheating cases in the Class 10 and 12 board exams, with 41 students caught cheating. The state capital Bhopal ranks second, where 20 students were caught during the examinations. CCTV surveillance and flying squads deployed This year, sensitive examination centres were monitored through CCTV cameras. Flying squads and strict security arrangements were also deployed to prevent malpractice. Despite these measures, cases of cheating continued to surface during the examinations. Around 16 lakh students appeared for exams Hotspot for cheating cases According to data from the board examinations, Morena district recorded the highest number of cheating cases, with a total of 41 cases reported across different exam dates. On February 10, six cheating cases were reported in the Class 12 exam, followed by six more on February 13. The highest number of nine cases was recorded on February 19 during the Class 10 exam. Further cases continued to emerge on February 23, February 24, February 27, March 2, March 5, March 6 and March 7. The consistent reports indicate that Morena remained the most challenging district for the administration during the examinations. 20 cases registered in Bhopal, 5 in Sagar Surveillance through CCTV cameras To prevent cheating in board exams, CCTV cameras were installed at sensitive examination centres this year. Through these cameras, the Board office in Bhopal maintained direct surveillance over centres across the state. The process of transporting question papers from police stations to examination centres and opening them there was also videographed. Security guards were deployed at centres to prevent any disturbance. 16 lakh students appeared for the exam Around 16 lakh students appeared for the Class 10 and 12 board examinations in Madhya Pradesh this year. Among them, 9.07 lakh students were from Class 10, while about 7 lakh appeared for the Class 12 exams. A total of 3,856 examination centres were set up across the state. In Bhopal, 30,746 Class 10 students and 26,627 Class 12 students appeared for the exams, for which 104 examination centres were established. Flying squad in every district To curb cheating, the administration formed four flying squads in each district. Two squads operated at the block level and two at the district level. Each squad had three members, including police or administrative officers, whose job was to conduct surprise inspections of examination centres and take immediate action on irregularities.