AIPMT exam held again amid strict checks, frisking in district

Aparna Banerji

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 25

Students across 15 centres in the district today appeared for the re-test of the All-India Pre-medical Test amidst strict frisking and checks at all levels to ensure there was no cheating at the centres.

While the first AIPMT exams conducted nationally on May 3 had been cancelled amid allegations of large-scale irregularities, including paper leak and undue benefits to candidates, the re-test was held as per the Supreme Court instructions.

While 8,000 students had to appear for the exam today, about 50 per cent of them failed to turn up primarily due to many of them already having bagged seats in other national and state-level medical exams. Students were frisked at various points at the examination centres here. They were frisked both at the gates of the centres and also on their entrance to the examination hall.

Buttons, rubber bands, key rings or any other external accessories which students were bearing were collected and kept outside. Students appeared for the exam bare foot and their mobile phones were also kept outside.

Students were screened with metal detectors and their ears were checked with torches. Although schools had also been asked to get jammers for the test, none of the centres, however, had any jammers.

Rakshandha, a student appearing for the test at the centre in Jalandhar, said, “Yes, the checking was strict today and I was asked to remove the fancy buttons on my T-shirt so as not to pose a security threat. However, despite rumours and scares, the exam itself was not very tough.”

Navdeep Kaur, a Batala student appearing for the test in Jalandhar, said, “Shoes, keys, hair bands and pins were all collected outside. Since keyrings were not allowed, many students depended on their parents to pick them up. Although the test was comparatively easy, the physics part was a little tough but the biology portion went smooth.” Aqsha Malik from Hoshiarpur said while she was first checked with a metal detector, later her ears were also searched with a torch. “Even during the test, some of the examiners stared long and hard at us as if looking for any signs. Of course, this was all part of the protocol, but at times got a bit too serious,” she laughed.

Anshul Sharma, a local student, said the checks were pretty strict, but he was anticipating the atmosphere inside the centre to be too charged up. However, it was clam. Videography was also done at the centres. At one centre, only seven out of 35 students reported. At another, only nine of the 30 and at another centre, half of the 24 expected to appear turned up for the test. At one of the big centres in the city, 196 out of 400 students appeared and at another, 450 out of 750 appeared. Police DAV School and Army Public School were among the biggest centres, while the exam was also conducted at MGN Public School, Apeejay School, among others.

“Yes, many students weren’t there since they might have bagged seats already. But even though I got a seat elsewhere I guessed it’s a good idea to appear for it since we had paid money and in any case, it’s an additional experience,” said a student.

Rashmi Vij, CBSE coordinator for the AIPMT tests held across the 15 centres in the district said, “Stringent arrangements were made for test as per which the CBSE had sought the budget for the torches, metal detectors and other equipment set up at centres for frisking and checks of students. After the tests, the equipment was returned by the schools. Enclosures were also set up at all centres for the checks of female students and the process was smooth.”

She said that only 40 to 50 per cent of the total students scheduled to appear turned up for the test.