The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) has detected a serious case of answer sheet manipulation during the Class 10 board examinations. After a detailed forensic investigation, the board confirmed that tampering took place in answer sheets of students who appeared in the March 2025 matric examinations.
The matter has raised concerns among students and parents across the state, but the board has assured that affected students will receive compensatory marks so that their academic future remains protected.
According to HPBOSE officials, the alleged manipulation happened at the examination centre of Government Senior Secondary School, Jhandutta, located in Bilaspur district. Around 40 students appeared for the examination from the centre, including students from Government High School, Jeora.
The issue came to light after nine students submitted a written complaint regarding irregularities in the multiple-choice question (MCQ) section of their answer sheets. Students claimed that answers marked during the examination appeared to have been altered later.
Following the complaint, the board called the students to its headquarters in Dharamsala for verification. Subject experts carefully examined the answer sheets before sending them to the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Dharamsala. The forensic report later confirmed that tampering had indeed taken place in the answer sheets.
After the forensic findings, HPBOSE formed a special investigation committee to study the matter in detail. During the investigation, another major discrepancy was found in the serial numbers of "tamper-proof" envelopes used for storing answer sheets.
Officials discovered that the envelope serial numbers did not match the details recorded in the packing memos. This indicated that answer sheet packets may have been exchanged either at the examination centre or during later handling.
HPBOSE Chairman Rajesh Sharma stated that the students were not responsible for the irregularity. He assured that the board's priority is to safeguard students' academic interests and prevent any unfair impact on their results.
Based on the committee's recommendations, the board has decided to provide compensatory marks for the compromised questions as per board rules.
The Himachal Pradesh Board has forwarded all investigation reports and related documents to the Education Department for further action. Officials are expected to investigate accountability and strengthen examination security procedures in the future.
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