Cops begin quizzing students accused in MBBS exam scam

A day after the dismissal of two regular employees of Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences Rohtak (UHSR), the district police have begun quizzing students from a private college who are named in the FIR related to the MBBS exam scam that took place in February.

Rohtak DSP Dalip Singh, accompanied by other police officials, visited the college located in another district on Tuesday and interrogated 19 students regarding the tampering of their answer sheets. In total, 24 students and 17 UHSR employees are accused in the case. The police team also carried with it records of the answer sheets linked to these students for verification.

“The police team arrived at our college around noon and spent several hours before heading back to Rohtak. Some of the cops were carrying bags containing the answer sheets of students as well as other documents related to the scam. Students one after another appeared before the team to share their side of the story. Some parents were also present during the questioning," said an official from the private medical college on anonymity.

He further said the police visit caused a stir not only among the students, but also among the college staff. “Since some of the students named in the FIR were not available, the police are likely to visit the college again in coming days to question them," the official added.

Sources said this marks the second round of questioning for the students. Previously, they were called by a disciplinary committee formed by UHSR authorities two weeks ago to investigate the matter.

“During hearing at that time, the majority of the students denied tampering with their answer sheets, while four to five students acknowledged the presence of changed handwriting in their sheets but denied their involvement in the alterations. The disciplinary committee has decided to send all answer sheets for examination by handwriting experts,” the sources added.

Meanwhile, the DSP confirmed the questioning of the accused students and said the UHSR authorities had provided partial records of the students, which now needed verification to determine the truth. "Except for three UHSR employees, no further arrests have been made in the case so far. However, the investigation is still ongoing," he added.

The scandal involves the smuggling of answer sheets from the university during both annual and supplementary MBBS exams. Students allegedly re-attempted answers after which university staff secretly resubmitted the altered answer sheets, assisting the students in securing passing marks through fraudulent means.