“We demand an official statement from Education Minister Bratya Basu on the situation. While the board has been disqualifying candidates on the charge of taking photographs on mobile phones without giving them a chance to defend themselves, the officials responsible for security at exam centres are left untouched,” BJP leader Shankar Ghosh said.

“The future of young students is being ruined. The Board has lost its independence and is being controlled by the ruling TMC,” the BJP MLA added.

The ruling TMC called it a “conspiracy” to disrupt the Madhyamik examination. “This is a conspiracy to defame the state government and the WBBSE. Every year, a section of people try to disrupt the exam by sharing question papers on social media. This happens after the start of the exam. The Board is taking strict measures to stop this,” said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh.