Following the Rajasthan Eligibility Exam for Teachers (REET) scandal in September last year, the state government in Jaipur has beefed up security and surveillance measures for all ongoing and upcoming government recruitment exams in the state.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the ongoing constable recruitment exam held by the Rajasthan Police has seen the introduction of biometric identification — apart from signal jammers around the exam premises — in a bid to avoid incidents of cheating.
One aspirant, Manish Regar, told the publication that he was not allowed to enter the examination centre with his baseball cap due to the metal buckle on the backside. Women, the report said, were asked not to apply mehendi or ink on their hands as their details would not be recognised by the digital biometric system.
In February, the 2021 REET exam was cancelled after it was found that the question paper was leaked merely two days before the exam and sold for Rs 1 crore, despite suspending internet services in parts of the state to curb cheating.
Among those arrested in the scandal were officials deputed by the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) to invigilate the test. Rajasthan CM Gehlot had also fired the RBSE chairman following the debacle.
In wake of the scandal, the Rajasthan Assembly had in March passed by voice vote a Bill providing imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine of Rs 10 crore for offences like paper leaks and cheating in recruitment exams.
A provision for attachment and confiscation of the property has also been made in the Bill.
However, that has not stopped incidents of gangs engaging in unfair practices during the exam, the report added.