Assam: Headmaster suspended, thrashed for distributing Class X question paper late

Family members of students allegedly thrashed a head teacher of a school in Assam's Kamrup district for not distributing the question papers of the Class X final examination on Saturday, February 15, 2025. The head teacher of Gasbari High School in Kamrup district, who was also the supervisor of the examination centre in the school, allegedly delayed the distribution of question papers by an hour, reported the Hindustan Times.

Family members react
"The examination was supposed to start at 9 am and the head teacher came to the centre at 10 am with question papers. This angered the parents, and some of them pushed him out of anger," a student's family member said.

After the incident, a team of police arrived and controlled the situation. The examination started around 10.10 am, and the students were given an additional 30 minutes to finish the paper.

Further, police revealed that they have recorded the statement of the head teacher, and the matter is under investigation. However, no case has been registered, an official said.

After the incident, the Director of Secondary Education, Mamata Hojai, suspended Ashok Choudhury, and a departmental inquiry has been ordered. Meanwhile, the headmaster of Gopalthan Regional High School, Muktaram Patowary, has been appointed as the new examination centre supervisor of Gasbari High School for the remaining examinations.

Education Minister reacts
In response to this, Education Minister Ronoj Pegu said that Ashok Choudhury came 20 minutes late, and because of this negligence, he was suspended.

The High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) Examination 2025 conducted by the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB) started on Saturday, and a total of 4,29,449 students, including 1,90,653 boys and 2,38,796 girls, are taking part in it.

The education minister said that 98.42% of students appeared on the first day, and the examination was conducted smoothly; however, 14 students were expelled for different reasons.