ICC nets 20 medical students for exam malpractice

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ICC nets 20 medical students for exam malpractice

The Hans India Update: 2026-04-29 07:58 IST

Vijayawada: The high-tech surveillance system at Dr NTR University of Health Sciences is proving highly effective in curbing exam irregularities.

A total of 20 medical students—including those from MBBS, PG, Dental, and AYUSH streams—have been caught red-handed for malpractice via the newly established ‘Integrated Command Control’ (ICC) centre. The ICC, launched in January to enhance transparency, utilises specialised cameras to monitor student movements across exam halls state-wide. While several students successfully bypassed initial frisking to smuggle in paper slips, Android phones, and smart-watches, they were ultimately detected by the centralised monitoring team in Vijayawada.

Health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav conducted a performance review of the Command Control system with vice-chancellor

Dr Chandrasekhar, registrar Sai Sudheer, and controller of examinations Srikanth. The minister was informed that since exams began on the April 2, 14 male and six female students have been apprehended.

“Medical education is a vital field,” minister Satya Kumar said. “Justice is only served to meritorious students when exams are conducted with total transparency. There must be no compromise on this front.”

The university’s control room is connected to 540 cameras installed across 28 Medical, 9 Dental, and 7 AYUSH colleges in Andhra Pradesh.

When staff in Vijayawada spots suspicious activity, they immediately alert on-site university observers who then conduct physical inspections.

According to CoE Srikanth, the breakdown of the 20 cases includes 16 cases involving paper slips, two cases involving smartwatches, two cases involving mobile phones.

Registrar Sai Sudheer clarified that a special committee will review the severity of these cases, with the potential for students to be debarred for up to two years.

The surveillance also extended to exam staff.

The Command Control Room identified two invigilators at private medical colleges using cell phones while on duty, violating strict university protocols.

As a result, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Chandrasekhar announced that these individuals would be barred from all examination-related duties for a period of three years.

Satya Kumar directed officials to leverage these technological insights to further refine exam protocols and ensure complete integrity in future medical assessments.