Raipur (PTI): Six persons, including a few candidates, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly attempting to cheat in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) examination in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, police said.
Eight mobile phones, four Bluetooth-enabled devices, three Bluetooth earpieces and more electronic gadgets were recovered from them, an official said.
Some of the arrested persons were taking the exam. They transmitted the questions by reading them out, while their accomplices looked up the answers and relayed them back, he said.
GATE is a prestigious national-level examination. It assesses candidates for a comprehensive understanding of different undergraduate-level subjects such as Engineering, Technology, Science, Commerce, Arts, Architecture and Humanities.
“Acting on a tip-off, the police maintained discreet surveillance around the examination centre under the DD Nagar police station limits. They spotted a few individuals in suspicious circumstances carrying electronic devices,” the official said.
Devices used for facilitating cheating were recovered from them. During interrogation, the individuals disclosed the names of their associates who were taking the GATE exam at the centre, he said.
Police subsequently recovered concealed Bluetooth devices used to send questions and receive answers from outside, he said.
The arrested persons have been identified as Darshan Sehwag, Sumit Sehwag, Laxminarayan, alias Lucky, Amar, Narendra Kumar and Bunty Kumar, all residents of Haryana.
A case has been registered against the six under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, the official said, adding that a probe is underway.
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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow here for April 9 Assembly elections, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty and BJP state leadership on Saturday locked horns on social media over development issues.
Sivankutty, LDF candidate from Nemom, in a Facebook post welcomed Modi for the roadshow in the constituency later in the day and highlighted a series of development projects.
The BJP state unit took a swipe at the minister through another Facebook post sarcastically questioning his claims.
In the FB post, Sivankutty said he was happy that the Prime Minister would conduct a roadshow from Killipalam junction towards Pappanamcode, as it would provide an opportunity to witness the development initiatives carried out in Nemom.
The senior CPI(M) leader is also the sitting MLA in Nemom, one of the constituencies where BJP pins its hopes the most in the upcoming Assembly polls.
The minister invited PM Modi to witness what he described as a "developed Nemom".
He listed several projects along the proposed route of the PM's scheduled roadshow, including a newly established ITI at Chala built at a cost of Rs 18 crore and the state office of SSK, which he said was constructed by the Kerala government after alleged denial of central assistance.
The minister further pointed to infrastructure such as the Deputy Director of Education's office complex, and a new building for Chala school constructed at a cost of Rs 4.8 crore.
He also highlighted road development and beautification works from Karamana junction to Pravachambalam, undertaken at a cost of Rs 5 crore, along with new street lighting installations.
Sivankutty said additional projects included multi-storey school buildings at various institutions, road upgradation works, and a career development centre built at a cost of Rs 6 crore.
While welcoming the Prime Minister, Sivankutty also urged him to explain the delay in disbursing Rs 1,500 crore allegedly due to Kerala under the SSK scheme, stating that the funds are meant for supporting children from economically weaker and marginalised sections.
He further claimed that salaries of around 7,000 teaching and non-teaching staff under the scheme are currently being paid by the state government.
In its social media post, the BJP's state leadership responded sarcastically to Sivankutty's claims of development by listing a series of prominent landmarks in and around Thiruvananthapuram, suggesting that the PM could see them by simply turning in different directions.
"Turn a little to the right and you can see the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Go straight from there and you will see the Vizhinjam seaport. Turn left and you can see the Thumba rocket launch centre. From there, if you go straight, you will reach Thiruvananthapuram railway station. Turn right and you will see the Padmanabhaswamy temple," it said.
"Go straight and you will reach Kovalam international beach. And if you look up from there, you can see the sky," the post said in Malayalam.
