Vinay Kumar
MUMBAI: The Mumbai University said on Tuesday evening that it was inquiring into allegations that question papers of three subjects in its ongoing sixth semester TY BCom examinations had been leaked and circulated through a WhatsApp group linked to a private coaching class in the western suburbs.After charges surfaced that papers of cost accounting, business economics and taxation had been leaked, the university stated in a brief statement that a probe was underway and its process was confidential. “If anyone is found guilty, appropriate action will be taken as per rules,” it stated.The summer session exams are currently in progress, and the TY BCom Semester 6 exams commenced on April 9. Sources alleged that question papers of the three subjects, along with answer keys, were shared in coaching class groups ahead of the exams.On April 15, during the Direct and Indirect Taxes Paper 2 exam, a university squad conducted checks at R D National College in Bandra, where six students were found in possession of mobile phones, which were subsequently confiscated. Sources said MU officials are in the process of poring over the data in the mobile phones. However, as the university has still not registered a police complaint, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) carried out protests at the varsity’s Kalina campus on Tuesday, saying it had not provided clarity on further action.The student organisation alleged a lack of transparency, pointing out that no FIR had been filed, no inquiry report made public, and accountability had not been fixed. It has demanded immediate criminal proceedings, suspension of officials at the concerned examination centre, cancellation of the papers and appointment of a high-level inquiry committee.Suggesting that the leak may not have been isolated, a student at an examination centre in Bhayandar claimed that some questions were received nearly 15 minutes before one of the exams began. Allegations have also been made that answers to multiple-choice questions were circulated among students shortly before the test, with some even writing options on their hands.The ABVP’s Mumbai metropolitan region head Prashant Mali alleged that action was taken against six students at R D National College, but the larger issue is “being suppressed by college authorities and the university’s examination controller.” He called for filing of cases against those involved.
