The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police has arrested nine persons in connection with the leakage of question papers during an entrance examination at the Tribhuvan University Institute of Engineering (IoE) in Pulchowk, Lalitpur.

“We have arrested nine persons, including some students, although the main culprit in the leakage is still at large,” said DIG Upendra Kant Aryal, chief of the CIB. “The investigation is going on and we will publicise our report soon.”

It has been learnt that among the nine arrested, four are lecturers and computer operators while the remaining are students, including union leaders.

In its eight-day long investigation, the CIB discovered that the question papers were leaked prior to the test in collusion with high-level IoE officials. However, the police are yet to make their names public.

Some 13,000 students attended the entrance test on August 11. When photocopies of the handwritten question papers were found before the test, irate students vandalised the dean’s office.

Though the IoE formed a five-member committee to investigate the matter, it was dissolved after student unions demanded an independent team, arguing that the IoE committee would not be able to probe senior officials, including the dean.

The IoE will formally cancel the entrance test and announce a new date once the CIB publicises its report.

This is the first time in the history of the IoE that entrance examination papers were leaked. The IoE and the Institute of Medicine are among the most reputed academic institutions in South Asia.

The students unions have claimed that the papers were sold for Rs 1 to 1.5 million each to a number of entrance preparation institutions.

“This incident has defamed the glorious history of the IoE and the dean should resign on moral grounds,” said Ranjeet Karna, Nepal Students’ Union coordinator and former Free Students’ Union president at the IoE.

Hundreds of students are selected for engineering scholarships at various colleges across the country based on their entrance exam score.

source: The Kathmandu Post,22 August 2012