Beed, February 12 A case has been registered against 17 teachers after a drone camera revealed widespread cheating during an HSC (Class 12) examination paper at a center in Beed district, Maharashtra, officials said on Thursday.
The mass cheating took place on Tuesday, the first day of the Class 12 exams conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, at Center 224 in Chousala, an official said.
Surveillance cameras mounted on drones deployed by the authorities captured supervisors in 16 examination halls not only failing to prevent cheating but also allegedly helping students cheat openly, he said.
The incident undermined the administration's efforts to ensure a "cheating-free" examination system, the official said.
After learning about the incident, Beed Collector Vivek Johnson ordered strict action against those responsible for the lapse.
Accordingly, an FIR was registered against 17 teachers, including the chief conductor of the exam center, at the Neknoor police station on Wednesday night. Charges under the Maharashtra Universities, Boards and Other Specified Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been included in the FIR, he said.
The Class 12 exams are currently being conducted at 103 centers across Beed district, with 45,247 students appearing for the exams.
In neighboring Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, a case of alleged mass cheating was found during the HSC English exam paper on Tuesday, following which an FIR was registered against 23 persons, including the invigilators, the police had said on Wednesday.