Kolkata: Despite continuous efforts by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), incidents of cheating are surfacing in the ongoing 2026 secondary examinations. On Saturday, 12 students appearing for the Geography exam at various test centers across the state were caught cheating using artificial intelligence (AI) on their mobile phones. The board has been monitoring this new trend since the exams began on February 2nd.
Most officials of the board conducting the exams suspected that at each center, a few students were colluding to bring one or two mobile phones into the examination hall. They would secretly use AI in the washroom or another secluded area to find the answers.
Following Saturday’s incident, the board believes that this trend is not limited to just a few students. Ramanuj Gangopadhyay, President of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), said, “The use of artificial intelligence in cheating is clearly evident this year. This trend of group cheating is completely new.”
How is AI being used?
It has been revealed that a dozen students were caught red-handed cheating with mobile phones at examination centers in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Purba Medinipur, Bankura, Cooch Behar, Birbhum, and Paschim Bardhaman. Some had hidden their mobile phones in the washroom, while others concealed them in their shoes or underwear. Some students even adopted ‘innovative’ methods to deceive the invigilators. They brought last year’s question papers with them. Whenever they got a chance, they would leave the old question paper on their seat and go to the washroom with the new paper to find answers to specific questions using AI.
A serious allegation has been leveled against a mathematics teacher at Mathurapur BSS High School in South 24 Parganas. The board claims that during the History exam on Friday, the teacher was writing down answers and providing them to the students. He was caught by the invigilator, and if the allegations are proven, legal action will be taken against him.
Several students from Khanna High School have been accused of vandalizing their examination center at Momin High School in Kolkata. However, the board has not yet received any written complaint regarding this incident.
Meanwhile, at Maheshwar High School in Hooghly, a candidate appearing for a compartment examination on Saturday was caught. He was supposed to be taking the Bengali and Mathematics exams, but it is alleged that he had been appearing for all the exams so far. In this case, the board has ordered a departmental inquiry against the venue supervisor.
On the same day, 55 students took their exams from hospitals, and special arrangements were made for two students who were unwell. The board has canceled the papers of 31 students for using mobile phones.
