The Central Board of Secondary Education apologized after a technical error led to a student being targeted by online trolls in 2024 [1].
The incident highlights the volatility of social media discourse in India, where a clerical mistake by a national education board triggered xenophobic accusations against a minor.
Vedant Shrivastava, a Class 12 student [2], discovered that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by the board did not belong to him [1]. While some reports indicate the first page of the document was correct, the rest of the content belonged to another student [3].
After Shrivastava raised concerns about the mix-up, the situation escalated on social media. Trolls labeled the student as "Pakistani" and "anti-national" [2]. The post detailing the answer-sheet error was viewed by millions of people [1].
Shrivastava's brother later responded to the harassment, saying that the family is not Pakistani [3]. The online backlash persisted until the board addressed the discrepancy.
The Central Board of Secondary Education eventually acknowledged the mistake as a technical error [1]. The board said it issued a formal apology to the student and provided a corrected marksheet [1].
This case follows a pattern of rapid, widespread harassment on Indian social media platforms. The speed with which the student was targeted reflects a climate where administrative errors are sometimes interpreted as political or national security threats.
“The board issued a formal apology to the student and provided a corrected marksheet.”
This incident demonstrates the intersection of administrative fallibility and digital vigilantism. When a high-stakes institution like the CBSE makes a technical error, the resulting public scrutiny can quickly devolve into targeted harassment, illustrating how nationalistic sentiment is often weaponized against individuals in digital spaces.
