JAIPUR: A power outage at an AIAPGET examination centre in Jaipur on Saturday not only left 49 candidates unable to complete the test but also triggered allegations of copying, with some candidates claiming that students were talking among themselves and cheating in the presence of the centre observer.The incident occurred at Shri Satya Sai PG College in Transport Nagar, where 192 candidates were appearing for the computer-based All India Ayush Post Graduate Entrance Test (AIAPGET).The two-hour examination had begun at 10 am when the centre faced a power outage that lasted around 20 minutes, candidates said.Several computer systems stopped functioning after the disruption. According to candidates, an invigilator told them the outage had been caused by a short circuit and that power would be restored shortly.However, when the power did not return for a considerable period, candidates came out of the centre and protested.Some candidates alleged that the disruption was accompanied by instances of copying.They claimed some students started talking among themselves and sharing answers during the outage, allegedly in the presence of the centre observer, who they said did not intervene.“There was power outage multiple times and there was no backup. During this, some candidates started talking and some came out. I was asked to sit in front of the computer even if it was not working. How could I sit when the computer was not working,” a candidate said.The centre observer said backup could not be provided during the outage because of a technical fault. He said a report on the incident was being sent to the National Testing Agency (NTA).The NTA, which conducts AIAPGET for admission to postgraduate MD, MS and PG diploma courses in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, said it would hold a re-examination for the affected candidates on September 1, PTI reported.The agency has also held M/s Eduquity Career Technologies Private Limited, which was conducting the test at the centre, responsible for the disruption and issued it a show-cause notice over “lapses in the conduct of the examination at the centre”.“Pending resolution of the notice, the empanelment of M/s Eduquity with NTA stands suspended with immediate effect,” the NTA said.The AIAPGET examination was conducted for 36,979 registered candidates in Shift 1 on Saturday, with 35,837 appearing at 200 centres across the country, according to the NTA.The examination was completed for 35,788 candidates. At Shri Satya Sai PG College in Jaipur, 192 candidates appeared, of whom 49 could not complete the examination because of the power failure, the agency said.(With agency inputs)
