Internet shut down to prevent exam cheating in India’s Assam
New Delhi, Aug 21 (EFE).- Authorities in the Indian state of Assam cut off the internet for four hours in several districts on Sunday to prevent cheating in an exam.
Airtel, an Indian multinational telecommunications services company, sent a text message to its users saying that mobile internet services would be temporarily suspended between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm, and between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm, as per government directives.
The shutdown in 25 districts of the state took place while more than a million students were taking a recruitment exam for almost 30,000 government jobs.
Students taking the exam were also banned from carrying their cell phones or any other electronic devices to the test.
Cheating and copying in exams is common in India.
In 2018, some 2.8 million students were ordered by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to retake exams after questions were leaked on WhatsApp.
Years earlier, more than 300 people, including students, family members and friends, were arrested in the eastern state of Bihar for alleged exam fraud. EFE
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