Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV) has cancelled two BSc Agriculture examinations after investigators found that their question papers were allegedly leaked before the scheduled tests. Police have arrested six people in connection with the case, while the management of Bharti Agricultural College in Durg has dismissed its principal and an assistant lecturer accused of being the alleged mastermind.

The latest action follows the cancellation of the BSc Agriculture first-year Plant Pathology examination held on August 7. Investigators reportedly found that the question paper had also been leaked. Earlier, the university had cancelled the second-year Entomology examination held on August 20. Both examinations are now expected to be conducted again in the first week of September.

Police have registered an FIR at TeliBandha police station in Raipur in connection with the case. The arrested accused include Bharti College assistant lecturer Yogesh Sonkesariya, who has been described by investigators as the alleged mastermind, along with five others. Police have also seized cash and mobile phones during the investigation.

Students allege papers were sold

The case has also brought forward allegations from some agriculture students, who claimed that question papers were reaching selected students well before examinations. According to these students, papers were allegedly circulated as PDF files through WhatsApp and other messaging platforms.

Some students claimed that papers were being sold for between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000, with groups of students pooling money to purchase them. They alleged that a paper could reach students around a day before the examination and was then circulated among others.

These claims have not yet been independently established by the police and remain part of the ongoing investigation.

Students also alleged that the practice was not restricted to the two examinations that have already been cancelled. According to their claims, question papers for several subjects had allegedly reached some students before the scheduled examinations.

Suspicion grew after paper surfaced

According to the information provided in the report, suspicion intensified after a question paper allegedly surfaced online. A photograph reportedly showed the staircase of Bharti College in the background, raising questions about whether the paper had been taken out of the institution.

The case subsequently attracted wider attention on social media, prompting police and university authorities to investigate the source of the leaked papers.

College dismisses principal, lecturer

Bharti Agricultural College has taken disciplinary action against both principal Dr AK Dubey and assistant lecturer Yogesh Sonkesariya.

College director Sushil Chandrakar said Sonkesariya had been working at the institution since 2019 and had been given responsibility for receiving and submitting question papers during the past year.

The college management also held the principal responsible for lapses in securing the examination papers. According to the management, once question papers arrived from the university, ensuring that they were safely stored and kept secured was the principal's responsibility.

Earlier complaints also surface

NSUI Raipur district president Prashant Goswami claimed that allegations of question-paper leaks at IGKV were not new. He alleged that similar complaints had surfaced in 2022 and 2024 and that students had raised concerns about papers reaching them before examinations.

He further claimed that a five-member committee had been formed in 2024 to examine the issue. However, these previous allegations are separate from the current police investigation and have not been independently verified.

The latest case has therefore raised broader questions about examination-paper security at affiliated colleges. Police are continuing to investigate how the papers were accessed, how they were allegedly circulated and whether more people were involved in the network.

Two exams to be held again

With the cancellation of the Plant Pathology and Entomology examinations, affected students will have to appear for fresh examinations. The university is expected to conduct both papers in the first week of September.

The police investigation will determine the exact role of the arrested individuals and whether the alleged leak involved additional examination papers or students.