Exclusive: External Invigilator Assaulted After Crackdown on Cheating at JR HS School during HS Exam

Ganirgram’s JR Higher Secondary School has once again found itself at the centre of controversy after an external invigilator was allegedly attacked by students for preventing cheating during the ongoing Class 12 board exams.

The victim, Subhash Debnath, an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at GC College, Silchar, claimed he was targeted in an “attempt to murder” on Tuesday (March 11) after he and other external invigilators took strict measures to curb malpractice. He was reportedly assaulted near Tupkhana by three students riding a bike.

JR Higher Secondary School has previously been embroiled in similar allegations. In 2023, the Secondary Education Board of Assam (SEBA) had to cancel an exam on March 13 after students were found in possession of chits despite frisking. Reports suggested that locals had scaled the boundary walls to supply the chits, leading to at least one arrest by Cachar Police. Later upon investigation, police recovered sacks of chits from the exam centre.

Speaking to a Barak Bulletin correspondent last night, Debnath said, “This school is knee-deep in collusion against the sanctity of exams. Everyone is involved in a systematic cheating process. Invigilators facilitate this—whenever an external evaluator is seen heading toward an exam room, they knock on the door or desk to signal students to hide their chits. Even after frisking, students can still be found with chits.”

“A few days ago, during an exam, we caught students with chits and expelled four of them. One student alone had nearly 50 chits. In today’s (Saturday’s) exam, we tightened the invigilation process to ensure fairness. We external invigilators were constantly patrolling the school, making sure no cheating took place. Little did I know what was going to unfold for me,” added Debnath.

Recounting the attack, Debnath said, “It was the last exam. When I left the school after the exam process had ended, I noticed three people on a Pulsar bike following me and occasionally overtaking me rashly. At first, I thought they were just commuters heading to Silchar. But I grew suspicious when they kept circling around me. I decided to take a detour and stopped at Jatingamukh Bazar to buy some vegetables”.

“After finishing my shopping, I started my journey again, and at first, I didn’t see them, so I felt relieved. However, after riding a few metres, they suddenly appeared behind me at high speed, overtook me, and sped ahead. I assumed they had left, but when I reached the Tupkhana area, the same three people came from the opposite direction, carrying a thick bamboo stick aimed straight at my head. Thankfully, I was wearing a helmet and managed to dodge. Instead of hitting my head, the bamboo struck my hand, severely injuring it. I fell off my bike, and the attackers fled. Locals rushed to my aid, and I managed to get first aid before lodging a complaint at the Arunachal Out Post”, added Subhash Debnath after getting his medical exam done.

Yesterday was the last exam of 12th boards of Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC).

It remains to be seen what actions Cachar Police takes against the alleged perpetrators.