Another blow! TBIE exam papers go missing from Warangal police station

In yet another case of embarrassment to the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TBIE), boxes of question papers for advanced supplementary exams were reported missing from a police station in Warangal on Wednesday. Two out of 13 boxes of question papers for the advanced examination, which is scheduled to begin on Friday, went missing from the Mills Colony police station here.

The incident came to light after the board officials went to the police station to deposit extra boxes of question papers, the police said on Wednesday. A preliminary probe by the police revealed that both intermediate and secondary school certificates (SSC) question papers were kept in two different trunks separately since March.

Police suspect that school education department officials took away the boxes containing intermediate question papers by mistake and were not coming forward fearing punishment. The missing boxes contained question papers of Physics, Economics, Zoology, History and Mathematics. The exam, however, will take place on schedule but a new set of question papers will be used, officials said.

"Based on initial reports, question papers were kept in two different trunks, which were secured in the police station in Warangal went missing. As a replacement to these missing question papers, new sets are going to be used across the state," said Board's Secretary A Ashok. The police are examining the CCTV footages for further investigation.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Narasaiah said, "Generally an Assistant Sub-Inspector and a Head Constable is assigned for the security of the question papers after they sealed by the respective head representatives. Post the sealing of the boxes of the question papers they have no access to the question papers and boxes." An FIR has been registered against unknown persons by the Mills Colony police and is being investigated.

Commenting on the development, state BJP president Dr Laxman said, "From day one, I have been telling the government that the Board of Intermediate has miserably failed to conduct examinations fairly. Education Minister is very careless and we are demanding his resignation. Somehow, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is shielding him." "You can imagine how the government is very casual in conducting such examinations. They are playing with the lives of lakhs of students. We strongly condemn it and we demand the resignation of the Education Minister. We also demand the government to sack Board of Intermediate secretary," he added.

"Students whose papers were checked wrongly, committed suicide. No inquiry has been done on that. This government is playing with the future of the children. This is the failure of government. An inquiry should be done. I want this government to fulfil their promises," Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao said while reacting to the news. The Telangana government, however, denied that it was a failure on their part.

"An inquiry is going on. Whatever small thing has happened, the ruling dispensation takes action. This is not the failure of the government. Once the report comes, the government will proceed," Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said. Around 19 students committed suicide in the past two months in the state after over three lakh students failed in the intermediate exams conducted by the board. 

(With inputs from agencies.)