New delhi: India has tightened security measures for the new round of medical school entrance exams after exam questions were leaked. Indian students took their new round of entrance exams for undergraduate medical schools today (June 21) amid unprecedented security measures, after the previous exam on May 3 was abruptly cancelled due to a major exam leak that affected the future of more than 2.2 million students across the country.
According to Thai News Agency, following the initial exams held on May 3, over 2.2 million test-takers were vying for places in medical and dental faculties. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and police discovered crucial evidence that nearly 140 "pre-exam questions," identical to the actual exam content, were circulating and being sold in secret groups almost 42 hours before the actual exam. Reports indicate that the fraudulent scheme demanded fees of 3-5 million rupees (approximately 1.3-2.2 million baht) per person. As a result, the Ministry of Education canceled all previous exams and scheduled a new exam for today (June 21) under strict security measures.
The process began with the Indian Air Force deploying transport planes and helicopters to deliver tightly sealed exam boxes to bank vaults in various regions to prevent potential leaks during ground transport. Each exam was linked to a GPS tracking system and a time-locked vault to detect unauthorized access. The team of experts responsible for creating, translating, and filtering the exams was completely cut off from digital communication and the internet at a secret location until the exam was complete.
The Indian Ministry of Information Technology temporarily suspended the use of the Telegram application throughout the exam period after discovering that fraudsters were using its anonymity and message editing features to falsify and leak exam questions. An Indian court dismissed Telegram's objection and upheld the government's ban as lawful. Meanwhile, at exam centers, identity verification systems linked to the Aadhaar database, coupled with AI-powered facial recognition, were installed to prevent impersonation. Over 130,000 CCTV cameras were deployed in every exam room, and more than 51,000 radio frequency jamming devices were used.
However, reports indicate that the strict security checks, which extend for over 15 minutes before exams, create accumulated stress for young people facing immense pressure from fierce competition, with only a 5-6% pass rate and guaranteed placement in medical school. Furthermore, it has led to tragic incidents, with at least 14 students reportedly committing suicide.
While India's Ministry of Education stated that these paper-based stricter measures are a one-time initiative, with plans to transition all university entrance exams to a computer-based system in the future to permanently eliminate exam leaks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues its investigation into the mastermind behind the corruption network. Initially, a chemistry teacher and some internal staff members linked to a major tutoring center have been arrested.