SSC student was reprimanded before exam, say cops

Clarifying rumours about the 16-year-old SSC student who committed suicide after she was allegedly caught cheating, the Pant Nagar police officials on Tuesday said that the girl was found with a chit before the exam began and was permitted to appear for the exam after a warning

SSC student was reprimanded before exam, say cops

The officials on Tuesday visited the Pune Vidya Bhavan School in Ghatkopar to get the details. "We visited the school on Tuesday and recorded the statements of the headmistress, the invigilator who had found the chit and the students who were in the classroom.

They all confirmed that the girl had been found with a chit before the exam started. If she had been found with the chit after the question papers were given, the school authorities would have notified us and a case would have been registered against her," said Police Sub-Inspector B A Kale of the Pant Nagar police station, who is investigating the case.

"On being caught, the invigilator confiscated the student's hall ticket but said she could collect it after the exam. The student was warned and was permitted to sit for the exam. The girl had also written an apology note promising that she would not repeat the mistake. The note is in the school's custody," added Kale.

Shridhar Salunkhe, chairman, Mumbai division of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education said, "We have prepared a report on the matter based on the findings of the education inspector and have submitted it to the Pune office of MSBSHSE.

In this case, there is nothing that the board could do. The supervisor caught the student with the chit before the exam . Every student is frisked before entering the exam centre. However, the system is not foolproof. I cannot say that it is the supervisor's fault.

The supervisor followed the rules by reprimanding the student and confiscating her hall ticket. The girl must have taken this extreme step under stress."

The girl's parents had told the police on Monday that while they were unaware of what could have led to her suicide, they suspected that a difficult exam could have been the reason.

"The girl's parents have said in their statement that the girl was an average student. She was a hard worker, but despite toiling hard she would not get excellent marks. She might have found the Geography exam tough and worried about poor performance. Her parents felt that this may have led her to commit suicide," said police inspector Vijay Khaire.

"Her mother would come to the school after every exam. However, on Monday the girl did not wait for her mother and left the school immediately after finishing her paper," said Khaire.

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