A candidate aroused suspicion and a check found he had concealed a smartwatch and a bluetooth device in his knee cap | Getty Images
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): At least six candidates were caught using smartwatches to cheat during the State Eligibility Test (SET) conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission on Sunday, with Ujjain emerging as the main hotspot for unfair practices.
The incidents have once again raised concerns over the misuse of electronic gadgets in competitive examinations despite strict security measures.
The SET was held offline from 12 noon to 3pm across 12 districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Ratlam, Rewa, Satna, Sagar, Shahdol, Narmadapuram and Khargone. Of the 1.46 lakh candidates registered, over 1.03 lakh appeared, marking an overall attendance of around 71%, while nearly 29% remained absent.
How gadgets entered exam halls
Despite heightened vigilance, Ujjain reported cheating-related incidents involving gadgets. At various examination centres in the city, six candidates were caught red-handed using smartwatches during the exam. Officials said cases were registered against them and further legal action was initiated as per examination norms.
Authorities said that although electronic devices were strictly prohibited inside exam halls, some candidates managed to bypass checks by wearing smartwatches and Bluetooth-enabled devices. Once detected, invigilators took action and handed the candidates over to the authorities concerned.
Frisking under question
Across the state, exam centres followed two- to three-level security checks to curb unfair practices. Candidates were allowed entry only after verification of photo identity proofs and admit cards. Apart from a prescribed pen and a transparent water bottle, no other items were permitted inside the exam hall. Despite these measures, officials admitted that attempts to violate rules were noticed, with Ujjain remaining a key area of concern.
Situation elsewhere largely smooth
In Indore, the exam was conducted at 100 centres where around 38,000 candidates were expected to appear. About 75% attendance was recorded, with nearly 28,500 candidates taking the test. Centres such as Holkar Science College, Old and New Government Degree College and SGSITS reported smooth conduct, with prohibited items confiscated before candidates entered the halls.
In Bhopal, confusion broke out at one centre after candidates were mistakenly given question papers of a different subject. Following protests, the issue was resolved by distributing the correct papers and granting 15 minutes of extra time to the affected candidates.
Now what
The SET was conducted for 31 subjects, including Hindi, English, History, Commerce, Science, Mathematics, Marathi and Urdu. Officials said that barring a few incidents, the examination concluded peacefully across the state. Subject-wise provisional answer keys are expected to be released in the next few days.