Any higher secondary examinee walking into an exam centre anywhere in Malda district on Tuesday will have to pass through a doorframe metal detector to reach the examination hall.

The district administration, in consultation with the police and the education department, has decided to install such detectors in all 127 exam venues of the district to prevent examinees from carrying cell phones with them during exams.

This year, the education department has marked 51 of these venues as “extra sensitive,” keeping in mind earlier reports of cheating and use of cell phones for such purposes.

Among these include some of the venues located in blocks like Kaliachak-I & III, Manikchak, Ratua-I & II.

“To prevent the students from carrying cell phones, metal detectors have been installed in all 127 venues. Also, the examinees will be frisked at the gate by teachers in presence of police personnel. Another round of frisking will be done by invigilators at the exam halls. Also, teachers and invigilators will have to submit their cell phones to the head of the venues during the exams,” said Amal Ghosh, joint convener of higher secondary examinations in Malda.

In Malda, incidents of cheating and “leakage” of question papers have been reported a number of times. Even during the Madhyamikexam that was held last month, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar alleged that the English question paper was“leaked” a little after the examination commenced.

Ramanuj Ganguly, the president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education which conducts the exam, later claimed that it was “sabotage” and was made from an exam centre in Malda.

The incident has put the education department and the administration on alert ahead of the HS exams.

“We have constituted two separate task forces to inspect examination venues without prior notice. There are officers of the administration, police, and education department in these teams,” said Nitin Singhania, the district magistrate of Malda.

During their visits, the task forces and also some other teams will carry radiofrequency detectors (RFDs)that can sense the presence of a cell phone.

Ten RFDs have been sent in the district from Calcutta, said sources.

Among other restrictions include the imposition of prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC within 100 metres of the exam venues during the exam. “Shops making photocopies will remain closed during those hours,” said an official.