The president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), which conducts the Madhyamik exam in the state, who was in Malda on Tuesday, said eight examinees in the state were barred from writing their geography answer papers for carrying devices like smartphones or smartwatches to the exam venues.

“The detection of such devices does not mean that the question paper got leaked. But since the board has made it strictly compulsory not to carry any such device to the hall during exams, strict steps were taken against those found having the devices while writing their papers,” Ganguly said.

He added that another 25 phones, including five from Malda, were found and seized from the examinees during frisking before they entered their respective venues.

“Otherwise, the examination ended successfully and almost all of 9.23 lakh Madhyamik examinees, who are appearing this year, adhered to the rules of the board,” Ganguly added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ganguly visited five Madhyamik exam venues in Malda district, including the two from where the Bengali and English question papers got leaked on the first two days of the board exam this year.

Ganguly first reached Enayetpur High School in Manikchak block where eight examinees were barred from exams for reportedly leaking the English question paper.

He also went to Raigram High School in Englishbazar block from where the Bengali question paper was leaked on the first day of the exam last Friday.

He also visited three other exam centres in Kaliachak-II block.

“No incident of the question paper leak was reported today (Tuesday),” Ganguly said.

WBBSE sources said that so far 32 Madhyamik examinees across Bengal have been disqualified so far from appearing in subsequent papers.

“We cannot only blame the examinees for violating rules. Their guardians should have been equally conscious about ensuring that their wards going to exam halls obeyed rules,” he said.

The secondary exam started last Friday, February 2, and will end on February 12.