The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBoSE) has suspended a centre superintendent and cancelled an examination centre in Kangra district after a video surfaced showing mass cheating during the Class 12 biology exam.
So far, the board has registered 27 unfair means cases (UMC) across the state in the ongoing board examinations.
HPBoSE Chairman Rajesh Sharma said that the state government has suspended three officials for allegedly promoting unfair practices at Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Jawali.
Ravi Bhandari, a biology lecturer serving as the centre superintendent, has been suspended.
During this period, he has been attached to GSSS, Trilokinath, in the remote Lahaul and Spiti district. Additionally, departmental proceedings have been initiated against the principal of the Jawali school.
The crackdown follows a viral social media clip purportedly showing an individual using a microphone to dictate answers for multiple choice questions (MCQs) within the school premises during the examination.
In a decisive move, the board has cancelled the examination centre at PM SHRI GSSS, Jawali. All students previously assigned to this location will now appear for their remaining papers at GSSS, Matlahar.
Sharma emphasised that the board is maintaining vigilance to ensure a transparent and disciplined environment.
“Even in the modern era, some students resort to unfair means rather than hard work,” Sharma said. “Such activities not only violate rules but also damage a student’s character and future.”
He noted that the board’s current system makes cheating between peers futile. While question papers are distributed in three series (A, B, and C), the questions are identical—only the sequence is jumbled.
“Comparing papers or copying from a neighbour is now a complete waste of time,” he said, calling for intensified surveillance across all state centres.
