An exam at Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, known as RGPV and counted among Madhya Pradesh's major technical universities, had to be scrapped after nine bundles of question papers went missing just minutes before students were due to sit for it. The discovery threw the campus into chaos, and a group of students marched straight to the vice chancellor's office.
According to computer science student Pawan Rajak, the exam was scheduled for 11 am but was called off at 10:55 am, just five minutes before it was to begin. Reports indicate that thieves broke a window to enter the biotechnology department, where the papers for the upcoming exam were stored, and made off with nine bundles covering different subjects. Once word of the theft spread, a group of students tried to meet the exam controller but could not get an audience. They then went to see vice chancellor Alok Sharma instead.
Why students suspect something bigger is being hidden
Rajak said the entire episode raises suspicion. He questioned how the question papers could go missing at all given the presence of a security guard and the university's established safety protocols. Students fear this was not a simple theft but possibly an attempt to cover up a larger irregularity, such as an actual paper leak. Rajak said students pressed the vice chancellor on exactly that point, how the papers disappeared despite the guard and the rules in place, but did not receive a satisfactory answer. He added that the vice chancellor has, however, ordered an investigation, and students are now waiting to see what direction that probe takes.
Vice chancellor sets up a three-member panel
Vice chancellor Alok Sharma said a three-member committee has been formed to conduct a fair investigation into the incident, and an official order is expected soon. Sharma stressed that this is not an issue confined to RGPV alone, noting that the episode has also raised questions about the systems followed by senior officials above the university administration. He called it an extremely unfortunate incident. A formal FIR has been filed with the police in connection with the matter, and a notice has been issued to the officer in charge of the exam. Attention now turns to what the committee's inquiry uncovers and what action follows against those responsible.
