What began as a Class 12 student’s attempt to correct his Physics board exam marks soon snowballed into a nationwide controversy involving social media trolling, political reactions, and serious questions over the Central Board of Secondary Education’s new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
Delhi student Vedant Shrivastava was subjected to online abuse and even labelled “Pakistani” after publicly flagging what he claimed was a mismatch in his CBSE Physics answer sheet.
The controversy later forced the CBSE to admit the error, apologise to the student, and send him the correct answer sheet.
How the Controversy Began
Vedant had applied for scanned copies of his evaluated answer sheets after receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics in the Class 12 board examination results announced on May 13.
When the scanned copies were shared on May 23, he noticed that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not appear to belong to him.
To support his claim, Vedant shared screenshots comparing handwriting from his English and Computer Science papers with the handwriting in the Physics script, alleging that the answer sheet had been exchanged.
“I studied for an entire year. I sacrificed sleep, peace of mind, outings, everything for these exams,” Vedant wrote on X while raising the issue publicly.
Student Trolled, Called ‘Pakistani’ Online
As the post gained traction and crossed millions of views, the issue quickly escalated into a heated social media debate.
Several users questioned why Vedant’s X account location displayed “South Asia” and began accusing him of attempting to tarnish CBSE’s image. Some users labelled him “anti-national” and even called him “Pakistani.”
Among those criticised for their remarks was Ashok Shrivastav, who later apologised after facing backlash online.
Vedant’s brother, Siddhanta, later clarified that the account had been created only recently to raise the issue and that the “South Asia” location appeared due to a technical setting.
“We are not Pakistani,” Siddhanta wrote in a post after the matter was resolved.
Rahul Gandhi, Social Media Groups Extend Support
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also reacted strongly to the controversy and criticised online attacks against the student.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that a teenager seeking justice for a genuine issue had instead been subjected to harassment and political labelling on social media.
Vedant also received support from the youth-driven online collective Cockroach Janta Party and its founder Abhijeet Dipke, who backed his demand for accountability in the evaluation process.
CBSE Admits Error, Sends Correct Answer Sheet
Following mounting public attention, the CBSE acknowledged the mismatch and confirmed that the wrong Physics answer sheet had been uploaded under Vedant’s roll number.
According to the board, the correct answer sheet was later emailed to the student, and his marks are now being revised accordingly.
In its official communication, the CBSE stated:
“Necessary action for updating your result, as applicable, is being undertaken accordingly.”
Vedant later confirmed on X that the board had accepted the mistake and resolved the issue.
OSM System Under Scrutiny
The incident has intensified criticism of the CBSE’s newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which was implemented this year for Class 12 board evaluations.
Under the digital evaluation process, answer sheets are scanned and assessed online by examiners through computer systems.
While the CBSE claims the system improves transparency and reduces manual errors, several students have reported issues including:
- Blurred scans
- Missing pages
- Technical payment failures
- Unmarked responses
- Answer sheet mismatches
The board has already admitted that technical issues during peak demand created difficulties for students accessing re-evaluation services and scanned copies.
Debate Over Student Safety Online
Beyond the examination controversy, the case has also triggered wider debate around online harassment, misinformation, and the pressure faced by students on social media.
Vedant’s family stated that the trolling severely affected his mental health, forcing him to stay away from social media after the controversy spiralled out of control.
The incident has now become one of the biggest flashpoints in the ongoing criticism surrounding the CBSE’s digital evaluation reforms and student grievance redressal system.
