On the day of the NEET-UG Exam on May 5, the digital locks on two boxes containing question papers at the Oasis School in Hazaribagh failed to open at the scheduled time of 1:15 pm, necessitating intervention, school principal Ehsanul Haque told The Indian Express. The boxes in question were equipped with two types of locks: a manual lock, which can be opened with a key or cutter and a digital lock programmed to automatically unlock 45 minutes before the exam began. The digital lock did not operate as expected.
NEET-UG exam malfunction leads to emergency lock opening
Upon discovering the malfunction, Ehsanul Haque quickly reached out to the National Testing Agency (NTA) for assistance. Following their instructions, officials proceeded to use a cutter to open the digital lock. This coordinated effort involved superintendents and observers from various examination centres. According to the report, Haque said he was asked to “cut the digital lock with a cutter.”
Imtiyaz Alam, the centre superintendent at Oasis School and NTA’s observer Vishwa Ranjan confirmed this. Ranjan said that digital locks were also used in previous NEET-UG exams, and there was always a beep confirming their unlocking, but this year they failed to unlock. When that happened he informed the principal and city coordinator, Ehsanul Haque, who further reached out to the NTA. They were then instructed by the NTA to open the locks using a cutter.
NTA protocol for digital locks
According to NTA officials, if the digital lock fails to unlock automatically at the designated time, the protocol is to manually break open the lock using a cutter. An NTA official quoted in the report said that digital devices can experience malfunctions, but that doesn’t necessarily imply tampering.
Describing the process, the principal said he received an email at 1 am on May 5, notifying him about nine cardboard boxes containing question papers, which were stored in two designated banks. By 7:30 am, five centre superintendents and five observers were handed these boxes, each containing aluminium boxes with the question papers.
Secure handling and unpacking protocol of NEET-UG question papers
Haque further detailed that upon receiving the cardboard boxes, officials and observers proceeded to their respective examination centres. He emphasised that at each centre, the boxes were securely stored in strongrooms, guarded by superintendents, deputy superintendents, observers and invigilators.
Alam clarified that the unpacking process began at 1:15 pm. The paper’s packaging has an outer layer of cardboard, which is opened using a sharp object. Inside this cardboard layer is an aluminium box containing two types of locks – digital and manual. Within the aluminium box, there is another cardboard box containing a seven-layered plastic envelope, which finally houses the question papers. The entire unpacking procedure occurs under the supervision of officials and two randomly selected students.
Investigation reveals irregularities in question paper transportation
Following the examination, a courier company assigned by the NTA transported the OMR sheets in two separate aluminium boxes. These boxes were sealed with manual locks, and the keys were placed inside a yellow plastic packet affixed to each box.
Alam revealed that on June 21, officials from the Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU) conducted an investigation. The EOU discovered that the serial code found on the remains of a leaked question paper in Bihar matched the Oasis School examination centre in Hazaribagh. Consequently, the EOU officials confiscated the two aluminium boxes containing the question papers.
The EOU officials said that the stickers on the aluminium boxes were inconsistent and there were variations in the latch patterns. Additionally, they observed that the seven-layered envelope had been breached at one end and appeared to have been cut.