Siraha Administration Destroys Seized Mobile Phones, Sparking Controversy

Siraha. The District Administration Office Siraha's decision to destroy approximately 500 mobile phones and smartwatches confiscated during the SEE exams held in Chaitra and the Class 12 exams held in Baishakh has become controversial.

The estimated market value of the seized materials is said to be over one crore rupees. Parents and legal practitioners have raised serious questions about this move.

The administration's decision is currently facing widespread criticism. However, the administration claims that the devices were destroyed to maintain the sanctity of the examination and prevent future misuse.

Seven iPhones, 489 Android mobile phones of various brands, and five smartwatches were seized from examinees during the SEE and Class 12 examinations. According to the administration, all these devices were recently destroyed.

Parents have objected to the administration's decision to destroy the mobile phones confiscated from examinees. Kishori Yadav, a parent of an examinee, said that it is not appropriate to destroy property bought with hard-earned money due to a student's mistake.

According to him, legal action could have been taken against the student who made the mistake and the examination center representative, but destroying the mobile phones is not the right decision.

Legal practitioners have also called the administration's move controversial. Chandan Kumar Karna, a legal practitioner from Siraha, said that since mobile phones are personal property, their destruction could be subject to legal scrutiny. 

"If parents proceed with legal action, there could be both action against the individuals involved in the destruction decision and compensation," Advocate Karna said. "It is the state's responsibility to protect personal property."

However, Surendra Poudel, Chief District Officer (CDO) of the District Administration Office Siraha, claimed that the mobile phones were destroyed in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act and the decision of the District Examination Coordination Committee.

According to him, although the confiscated materials could be legally auctioned, the decision to destroy them was made considering the risk of sensitive devices like mobile phones being misused again.

"Although there is a provision to auction confiscated mobile phones, the decision to destroy them was made with the objective of preventing future misuse," said Chief District Officer Poudel.

Earlier, Rani Sharma Tiwari, the then Minister of Education of Madhesh Province, had warned of strict action if mobile phones were found to be used in examinations. Based on that, the District Examination Coordination Committee Siraha formed a separate subcommittee to manage mobile phones and decided to destroy the confiscated devices, according to the committee.

A five-member committee, including representatives from the District Administration Office, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and National Investigation Department, was formed under the leadership of Rajdev Yadav, Examination Branch Officer of the Education Development and Coordination Unit Siraha.

The committee stated that the mobile phones were rendered completely unusable by submerging them in water for 24 hours at the District Police Office premises and then destroyed by smashing them.

According to subcommittee coordinator Yadav, the decision was made to destroy the mobile phones by rendering them in a state where they could no longer be used.