46 answer sheets ‘tampered with’ in Rohtak MBBS scam

A total of 46 blank answer sheets of the MBBS examination held at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences here in January-February 2024 had gone missing, according to the findings of a probe conducted by a three-member fact-finding committee.

Some of these missing answer sheets were used during an examination conducted in the university in April-May the same year, the committee said in its inquiry report submitted to the university authorities on February 13.

The committee, which was headed by Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (Karnal) Director Dr MK Garg, found the discrepancy while reviewing the records of answer sheets provided by the centre superintendent, said sources.

First such incident

• It was the first time answer sheets were misused in the Rohtak varsity in this manner
• Three varsity employees were placed under suspension
• Trio was among 17 named in the FIR filed in connection with the Rohtak MBBS exam scam

The inquiry report pointed out that the disappearance of the blank answer sheets raised suspicion about the involvement of employees at the examination centre, the university’s exam branch and the company responsible for supplying the answer sheets. The report suggested that the original answer sheets issued to students might have been replaced with the ones that went missing earlier.

The sources said following the findings, Vice-Chancellor Dr HK Aggarwal acted swiftly and launched an internal inquiry to identify the officials responsible for safeguarding the answer sheets. After the inquiry, three employees were placed under suspension and an FIR was recommended against them. The three employees are among the 17 named in the FIR filed in connection with the scandal.

A university official said the scandal was particularly concerning as it was the first time that answer sheets were misused in this manner. “Earlier, it was found that students involved in a similar scam had used erasable ink to write their answers. After the examination, the answer sheets were allegedly taken out of the university, where students would erase their answers using hair dryers and rewrite them. The tampered answer sheets were then resubmitted for evaluation, enabling cheating in the examination process,” said the official.