MBBS exam scam: Rechecking process rigged to ensure students pass

The MBBS exam scam at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences Rohtak (UHSR) is not confined merely to re-attempt and replacement of answer sheets for annual and supplementary examinations. The racketeers were also allegedly involved in manipulating the paper rechecking process to ensure students passed even when they had not performed adequately in the exams.

As per sources, this illegal practice, referred to by the perpetrators as the "direct" system, involved taking substantial sums of money from students at a private college for facilitating their success through rechecking of their answer sheets.

One of the accused, during police interrogation, revealed that an employee from the Secrecy Branch of UHSR played an instrumental role in securing passing marks for students in the rechecking process, charging as much as Rs 2 lakh per subject, the sources added.

“The malpractice was also brought to light by a whistle-blower — a concerned MBBS student — who filed a written complaint with UHSR authorities in January regarding the scandal. The student’s complaint outlined how the illegal practice was systematically carried out.

According to the complaint, unsuccessful students were instructed by the racketeers to apply for rechecking, often citing doubts about unchecked answers as their reason for requesting a review, the sources maintained.

The sources further detailed that once the rechecking request was made, the racketeers allegedly managed to gain access to the original answer sheets from the Secrecy Branch. As per the complaint, they would then instruct students to re-attempt their responses by inserting answers into the blank spaces of the answer sheet, essentially engaging in cheating. Once this was done, the tampered answer sheets were re-submitted for rechecking, and the students who had previously failed were able to secure passing marks, the sources added.

Moreover, sources revealed that the racketeers always remained updated about the exam results in advance, often providing students with details of their marks ahead of the official declaration. “This practice was strategically employed to build trust and gain the confidence of the students. It helped the racketeers to lure students, convincing them to seek their illegal services as a means of passing the exams despite poor performance,” the sources added.

Currently, the district police are investigating the scam after registering an FIR against 41 persons, including 24 students and 17 UHSR employees, on the complaint of the UHSR security officer in this respect.