Bihar: According to the police, a man was arrested during the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC) exam in Patna for trying to take a photo of the question paper with his mobile phone.

The candidate, Swami Vivekanand Kumar Yadav, attended the exam on Sunday for the position of Sub Inspector in the Prohibition, Excise, and Registration Department and the Surveillance Department of the BPSSC. His arrest occurred amidst widespread outrage over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 exam, including a paper leak.

When Yadav attempted to photograph the question paper and send it elsewhere, he was thwarted by jammers installed by authorities to block internet access. This measure was part of efforts to prevent cheating during the exam, held at the College of Commerce, Arts and Sciences in Patna, according to the police.

An FIR was registered against Yadav. During interrogation, it was revealed that he had hidden his phone on the college campus on June 21, intending to retrieve it later to facilitate cheating. He retrieved the phone after being frisked at the entry on the day of the exam, according to police.

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A total of 1,280 candidates appeared for the BPSSC exam, which was divided into two sessions. The first shift, from 10 am to 12 pm, focused on General Hindi, while the second shift, from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, centered on General Studies. The attendance rate for the examination stood at approximately 95 percent.

In light of the current NEET controversy, BPSSC officials installed jammers at the examination center to prevent unauthorized communication. The center was under strict CCTV surveillance and had a hotline set up to maintain direct communication with the control room despite the jammers being active.

Candidates underwent rigorous checks at the entry, including photography at the gate, biometric fingerprinting, and comprehensive photography and videography during the examination. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was utilized to verify candidates’ identities by matching them with the photographs taken at the entrance, thereby preventing any instances of impersonation.

Meanwhile, a CBI team from Delhi arrived at the office of the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police in Patna on Monday morning to investigate allegations of irregularities in NEET-UG. The EOU, which had been handling the investigation until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over following an order from the Centre, had apprehended 18 individuals linked to the case. The CBI filed an FIR on Sunday regarding the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, held on May 5, following a reference from the Education Ministry amid nationwide protests and litigations by students.

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