Hungry cow chews up answer sheets Seba has ordered a probe into the incident, even as student unions demanded resignation of its chairman

Hungry cow chews up answer sheets

Seba has ordered a probe into the incident, even as student unions demanded resignation of its chairman

Mangala, a cow, put the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) on the mat when it chewed up over 100 answer sheets of the recently-concluded class X examination conducted by SEBA. The incident has ruffled feathers, even as censures galore for SEBA, which has ordered a probe into the incident as a damage control measure. The incident occurred at a government-run school in Goalpara town, around 150 km west of Guwahati, on Friday. The answer sheets were kept in a room at the school. Some teachers discovered the chewed-up answer sheets during school hours on Friday. Apparently the cow, whose owner lives nearby, entered the school premises early morning and chewed up the answer sheets of subjects including science, history and Assamese. The SEBA claimed the answer sheets had been already evaluated. But what is being asked is how will SEBA reevaluate any of those answer sheets, if the situation so warrants. It does not have an answer. “The answer sheets (chewed up by the cow) have been already evaluated. However, we have ordered a probe into the incident,” SEBA chairman Shantikam Hazarika told journalists. He said action would be taken against anyone found guilty. The district administration is also probing the matter separately. The influential All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has slammed the school authorities and the SEBA for the incident. “The incident has exposed the negligence and irresponsibility of some teachers and SEBA. Whosever guilty should be punished,” AASU president Shankar Prasad Roy demanded. Scores of volunteers of asomiya yuva manch (youth forum) locked up the office of SEBA in protest against the incident on Saturday. They shouted slogans and burnt the effigies of SEBA chairman. “SEBA is playing with the lives of students. We demand the chairman quit his office immediately owning moral responsibility,” the forum said. Of late, SEBA has been in news for all the wrong reasons, be it the leakage of examination papers or alleged corruption in the board.