Jayapur: Vikram Dev University in Jayapur, Koraput district, Saturday postponed its second-semester undergraduate Ability Enhancement Course (AEC 1.2) English examination after a question paper circulating on WhatsApp was found to match the paper scheduled for the day, university officials said.
The examination was scheduled to be held from 2pm to 5pm at examination centres across Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts. The university subsequently informed all centre superintendents about the postponement.
University Controller of Examinations Ranjan Kumar Pradhan said some students approached him at around 11am Saturday and showed him four to five different question papers that were circulating on WhatsApp. One of them was found to match the original question paper prepared for the AEC English examination scheduled for the day, he said.
The university immediately postponed the examination as a precautionary measure to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the examination process.
The university has lodged a complaint with the Koraput cyber police station seeking an investigation into how the question paper reached WhatsApp and how the circulated paper came to match the original examination paper.
Pradhan said it was possible that the material had been circulated by people seeking to mislead students, but the actual circumstances would become clear only after the investigation.
The university has advised students not to be misled by rumours or unverified messages circulating on WhatsApp.
A fresh question paper will be prepared for the postponed examination. The university will announce the new date and time for the examination later, Pradhan said.