The Hindu : Front Page : Chief Secy begins probe into marks scandal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Chief Secy begins probe into marks scandal

Correspondent

Answer sheets of School Education Minister’s son found in the Board office

Bijay got 478 marks and not 602 as indicated in website
Employees demand CBI probe into the charges

Bishnu Charan Das

CUTTACK: The alleged tampering of matriculation marks of State School and Mass Education Minister Bishnu Charan Das’ son took a turn when Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy began investigation on Tuesday.

The answer sheets of the Minister’s son Bijay Shankar Das were traced from the Board office within hours of Mr. Tripathy launching the probe.

Scripts of at least four out of the five subjects in which Bijay got more marks were retrieved from the Board’s confidential section and were produced before the Chief Secretary.

Bijay’s other answersheets were also recovered from the Controller of the Examination Manoranjan Swain.

Mr. Swain had earlier claimed that the answer sheets of the Minister’s son along with some other students were destroyed in heavy rains.

Mr Swain and Board Secretary Minaketan Pani, who is also alleged to have a hand in increasing the marks of the Minister’s son, were questioned for several hours by the Chief Secretary.

Fact-finding mission

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik last week had ordered the Chief Secretary to investigate into the matter as the scandal rocked the State. “I am on a fact-finding mission and this is not a public enquiry,” Mr. Tripathy told newsmen, refusing to divulge his findings. He, however, said that the Minister’s son had actually got 478 marks in the 2007 Matriculation examination instead of 602 as indicated in the Board’s website. Bijay had got more marks than the actual in at least five out of nine papers.

“I am here to find out whether the mistake was manmade or it was a computer error. If it is a manmade one then the persons responsible for it will not be spared and if it is a computer error then steps will be taken to ensure that the same is rectified and not repeated again,” the Chief Secretary said.

Meanwhile, the agitating Board of Secondary Education employees, who are on an indefinite dharna in front of their office since Monday after locking it from outside, demanded a CBI probe into the entire episode. “Since the Minister is involved in the scandal we demand for a fair investigation either by the crime branch police or the CBI,” said employees’ association secretary Mir Hakim.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page