Following a high-profile OMR sheet manipulation scandal that sparked criminal charges against four educators, the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board on Thursday (October 16) published a revised Dakhil examination result, granting student Habibul Bashar a GPA-5 with an A-plus in biology. Habibul, a student of Kolkond Takiya Sharif Alim Madrasah in Rangpur's Gangachara upazila who sat for the examinations from the Gangachara Degree College center, initially found himself marked as failing in biology when results were published on August 10. His predicament came to light after subsequent re-evaluation appeals failed, prompting him and his uncle to visit the board offices on September 13, where an inspection of the script revealed that the multiple-choice question optical mark recognition sheet submitted under his name belonged to another individual, bearing discrepancies in both the controller's signature and serial numbers.
An ensuing five-member investigation committee formed by the Madrasah Education Board subsequently confirmed that Habibul's biology OMR sheet had indeed been deliberately swapped. Acting on directives from the education board, Mosharraf Hossain, sub-inspector of the board's Rangpur regional office, filed a formal case at Gangachara Model Police Station on September 17 against four teachers. The accused individuals are Md. Abdul Baki alias Liton, vice-principal and assistant center secretary of Gangachara Senior Alim Madrasah; Md. Rokonuzzaman, principal and hall superintendent of Saudpara Alim Madrasah; Oliullah, principal and center secretary of Gangachara Senior Alim Madrasah; and Ibrahim Khalil, superintendent of Dhantola Bazar Dakhil Madrasah.
According to the case dossier, the conspiracy unfolded on May 20 during the biology examination, when an attempt was made inside an exam hall to extort money from students in exchange for multiple-choice answers. After Habibul refused to pay, he engaged in a heated altercation with Abdul Baki, following which his legitimate OMR sheet was replaced with a fabricated one before being dispatched to the board. Discrepancies were glaringly apparent, as the serial number recorded on the official attendance sheet did not match the number on the OMR sheet received by the board. While the second through fourth accused submitted written statements to the investigation panel, Abdul Baki reportedly failed to appear before the board to offer any explanation.
Investigators confirmed that the accused educators went into hiding following the filing of the case. Gangachara Police Station Sub-Inspector Mashiur Rahman, the investigating officer for the case, stated that law enforcement is actively pursuing leads to apprehend the fugitives. Meanwhile, Mosharraf Hossain from the board's regional office verified the authenticity of the revised outcome and assured that the board will facilitate Habibul's enrollment into an Alim program at any madrasah of his choosing.
Expressing a mixture of relief and lingering pain over the ordeal, Habibul demanded exemplary punishment for all perpetrators involved in the academic fraud so that no other student faces similar sabotage in the future. The swift corrective action by the board underscores institutional accountability, yet the ongoing manhunt for the implicated academic administrators highlights systemic vulnerabilities within examination centers during public testing seasons.
