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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

Bhagwat to outline roadmap for next century

Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat will address thousands of volunteers and key political observers at Reshimbagh grounds in Nagpur tomorrow at 7.40 am on the occasion of Vijayadashami, formally concluding the organisation’s centenary-year celebrations. He is expected to deliver an ideological and operational blueprint intended to recalibrate Hindu society, counter ongoing opposition mobilisation across India, and outline internal organisational changes...

Bhagwat to outline roadmap for next century

Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat will address thousands of volunteers and key political observers at Reshimbagh grounds in Nagpur tomorrow at 7.40 am on the occasion of Vijayadashami, formally concluding the organisation’s centenary-year celebrations. He is expected to deliver an ideological and operational blueprint intended to recalibrate Hindu society, counter ongoing opposition mobilisation across India, and outline internal organisational changes through a wide-ranging policy address. The annual Vijayadashami address, historically the most definitive forum for the RSS chief to articulate the organisation’s stance on domestic policy, cultural objectives and global affairs, carries heightened significance this year. Marking the completion of 100 years since Dr K.B. Hedgewar founded the organisation on Vijayadashami in 1925, Bhagwat’s address is designed to chart the strategic framework for the RSS as it enters its second century. Over the past 12 months, Bhagwat has personally anchored a series of outreach programmes across four Indian metropolitan hubs and two global nerve centres in the United States and Europe, signalling an appetite to project ideological clarity and broaden the organisation’s institutional footprint beyond traditional shakhas. The address comes against the backdrop of sustained street agitations orchestrated by the Congress party and newly formed groups such as the CJP in the national capital and several states. These demonstrations, centred on unemployment, social justice rhetoric and institutional accountability, have explicitly targeted India’s youth demographic — a constituency that has historically formed the primary recruitment pipeline and ideological backbone of the Sangh. Political observers believe Bhagwat will offer an unyielding response to these attempts to disrupt governance and erode the social coalition, reflecting an unmistakable determination within the Sangh Parivar leadership to resist political attrition and mount an active counter-narrative. The diplomatic and constitutional significance of the event is underscored by the deliberate selection of guests. Former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, Yaniv Revach, are attending as special invitees. Revach’s presence hints at possible remarks addressing global geopolitical realignment, the rise of civilisational conflicts, cross-border terrorism and national security challenges. Dhankhar’s attendance provides a platform to reaffirm constitutional patriotism and legislative stability at a juncture marked by sharp parliamentary confrontation. Equally consequential is the invitation extended to Sanjay Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of Dainik Jagran. For an organisation that has historically maintained a measured distance from mainstream media machinery, engaging with the leadership of India’s largest Hindi daily indicates an institutional shift towards proactive public communication. The gesture suggests that the Sangh recognises that narrative warfare in its next century requires strategic engagement with popular media platforms rather than a traditional reliance on insular organisational word of mouth. Beyond external ideological positions, the Nagpur gathering is expected to provide indicators of the structural transitions under way within the RSS. The organisation has been quietly restructuring its administrative echelons, revamping functional wings and adjusting internal deployment models in recent months. With additional leadership realignments slated across key tiers in the near future, Bhagwat’s speech is expected to define the organisational ethos for these generational handovers, emphasising flexibility in outreach while preserving core organisational discipline. As dawn breaks over Reshimbagh, the address will serve both as a balance sheet of a century-old journey and as a declaration of intent for an increasingly combative political era.

Fighting Exam Leaks with Forensic Science

Dr. Keshav Kumar and Shiwani Phukan
5 hours ago
3 min read

While paper leaks undermine faith in India's competitive examinations, forensic science offers a vital line of defence in protecting their integrity.

The shadow of examination paper leaks continues to darken India's promise of merit, leaving broken trust and shattered hopes. In the summer of 2026, the crisis struck again, disrupting the plans of over 24 lakh aspiring doctors. The NEET-UG examination, scheduled for May 3, was cancelled days later amid strong suspicions of a paper leak.


Reports suggested that a widely circulated “guess paper” replicated dozens of actual questions. It reportedly spread through WhatsApp groups and coaching centres, mainly in Rajasthan.


Over 70 major paper leaks have reportedly occurred across India in the past seven years, affecting nearly 1.7 crore candidates. What was once dismissed as occasional carelessness has evolved into an organised racket involving brokers, insiders, coaching mafias and digital enablers.


Every leak does more than compromise examination results. It undermines meritocracy, breeds cynicism among young aspirants and delays the futures of deserving candidates.


The Supreme Court of India has described such crises as a “betrayal of public trust”, reflecting the damage they inflict on public confidence in the examination system.


The NEET-UG 2024 paper-leak case, including proceedings in Vanshika Yadav v. Union of India & Ors., illustrates the problem. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reportedly recovered half-burnt question papers and mobile phones and examined digital communications as part of its investigation. Another example is the cancellation of the 2021 Rajasthan Sub-Inspector recruitment examination following a paper-leak scandal. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, investigations reportedly uncovered post-dated cheques, digital transfers worth lakhs of rupees and other electronic evidence linked to organised examination fraud.

At the centre of these investigations is questioned document examination, a branch of forensic science that assesses the authenticity of written, printed and digital documents. Examination boards and forensic institutions are exploring advanced technologies and stronger security protocols to prevent tampering.


For physical question papers, experts recommend unique serial numbers, tamper-evident packaging, documented handovers and post-examination accounting. These measures help maintain a secure chain of custody.


Digital security is equally important. End-to-end encryption, access controls with audit logs, multi-factor authentication, geofencing and file hash verification can help prevent unauthorised access. Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and zero-trust architecture offer additional protection.

Invisible digital watermarks, including microdots unique to each printed copy, can help investigators trace leaked papers to their source.


Artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen monitoring by analysing server logs, detecting unusual access patterns in real time and scanning social media for early signs of leaked content.


As examination fraud grows more sophisticated, the 2026 NEET episode has intensified discussions on fully digital, cryptographically secured examination platforms.


Experts and academics, including Dr Rajesh Kumar of the Government Institute of Forensic Science, Aurangabad, and Scott Rose, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who edited the Zero Trust Architecture standard, have worked in related fields. Anthony Paredes is also associated with next-generation firewall technologies for email and web security.


Meanwhile, faculty members such as Dr Vaishali Abrol and Prof. Mahesh Joshi of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) are reportedly developing hybrid training programmes that combine questioned document analysis with cyber-forensic methods. These initiatives aim to prepare a new generation of experts to tackle both paper-based and digital examination leaks.


As examination fraud threatens public confidence, forensic science is becoming an important tool in protecting fairness. Scientific procedures must evolve alongside increasingly sophisticated methods of fraud. By analysing physical evidence and digital records, forensic experts can help investigators trace leaks and strengthen the integrity of examinations.


(Kumar is a retired IPS officer and forensic science expert. Phukan holds an MSc in Forensic Science from NFSU's Guwahati campus.)

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