Siraha, June 7: Student organizations in Siraha have announced a protest against the destruction of mobile phones and smartwatches confiscated from SEE and Grade 12 examination centers.
According to a notice circulated on social media, the demonstration will be held outside the Siraha District Administration Office at 12:00 pm on Monday. Students across the district have been urged to participate.
Promotional material issued in the name of a joint student alliance carries the main slogan: “Government, compensate the students.”
The protest aims to pressure authorities to provide fair compensation for the destroyed devices, end what organizers describe as repression of students, and ensure justice for those affected. Satish Chandra Singh, coordinator of ANNFSU’s Madhesh Province committee, said the objective is to draw the attention of the concerned authorities and push them to address students’ demands.
The controversy stems from a decision by the Siraha District Administration Office to destroy around 500 mobile phones and smartwatches confiscated during the SEE and Grade 12 examinations held in March. Authorities said the devices were destroyed to maintain the integrity of examinations and prevent their misuse in the future.
According to the administration, the seized items included seven iPhones, 489 Android phones of various brands, and five smartwatches. Officials stated that all the devices were recently destroyed and estimated their combined market value at more than Rs 10 million.
Former Madhesh Province Education Minister Rani Sharma Tiwari had earlier warned of strict action against the use of mobile phones during examinations. Based on that directive, the Siraha District Examination Coordination Committee formed a separate subcommittee to manage confiscated devices and decided to destroy them.
The seized phones and smartwatches were submerged in drums filled with water before being destroyed.
A five member committee led by Rajdev Yadav, Examination Section Officer at the Education Development and Coordination Unit, Siraha, was formed with representatives from the District Administration Office, Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force, and the National Investigation Department.
The committee said the devices were kept submerged in water for 24 hours inside the District Police Office premises, rendering them unusable before they were smashed and destroyed.
According to subcommittee coordinator Yadav, the decision was made to ensure the devices could never be used again. However, parents, legal experts, and student organizations have strongly objected to the move and are demanding compensation and justice.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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