Called anti-national, Pakistani: Student Vedant faced trolling amid CBSE ordeal
Vedant Srivastava's CBSE Class 12 re-evaluation request has grown into a larger conversation around answer sheet mismatches, OSM-related concerns, and transparency in the assessment process, bringing renewed focus on accountability and student grievances.
What began as a routine request for re-evaluation after unexpectedly low marks soon snowballed into a national controversy for CBSE Class 12 student Vedant Srivastava, raising fresh concerns over the board’s Online Script Monitoring (OSM) system, evaluation transparency, and the emotional toll on students.
The controversy erupted after Vedant claimed that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE during the re-evaluation process was not his own.
The issue quickly gained traction online, drawing support from opposition leaders while also exposing the student and his family to online abuse.
After receiving the correct answer sheet from CBSE, Vedant’s family recalled the online backlash they faced, saying they were labelled “anti-national” and “Pakistani” for raising the issue publicly.
'I AM SHATTERED': VEDANT FLAGS ANSWER SHEET DISCREPANCY
On May 23, Vedant took to X alleging a major discrepancy in the answer sheet shared by CBSE.
“I am a CBSE Class 12 student. After receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics, we applied for photocopies of my answer sheets through the CBSE reevaluation process. Today we received the copies. And I am shattered because the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE is not mine.”
Vedant claimed the answer sheet mismatch could potentially affect his marks and college admissions prospects. He also raised concerns over possible errors in CBSE’s newly implemented OSM evaluation system.
The student alleged that the issue pointed toward larger concerns involving sheet mismatches and evaluation glitches.
‘HE WAS STUDYING, NOT TWEETING’: FAMILY RESPONDS TO ONLINE ATTACKS
As the issue gathered momentum, Vedant’s brother Siddhant Srivastava said the family faced severe trolling and abuse online.
“I am the brother of Vedant, and I am appalled by seeing how people are calling us Pakistani,” Siddhant wrote on X.
He clarified that Vedant did not even have a social media account and that the family had created one solely to raise the issue publicly. “Vedant did not have Twitter because he was busy studying instead of tweeting, and we made this account for tweeting his genuine issues because we could not apply for reevaluation.”
The remarks highlighted the emotional strain the family said they experienced amid the controversy, with efforts to raise their concerns publicly drawing trolling and personal attacks online.
CBSE REACHES OUT, SENDS CORRECT ANSWER SHEET
Hours after the issue gained traction online, CBSE officials reportedly contacted the family and shared what Vedant said was his actual Physics answer sheet.
Confirming the development, Vedant posted:
“We have got my correct answer sheet by CBSE. CBSE officials reached out to us in the evening and have sent my answer sheet. We were correct on our claims and the answer sheet indeed got exchanged.”
However, the controversy did not end there.
Vedant maintained that he would still seek re-evaluation after reviewing the corrected answer sheet more closely.
“We will still apply for reevaluation of this answer sheet after checking this sheet more closely, since they have slashed my marks even when the answer is correct.”
OSM SYSTEM UNDER SCANNER AMID EVALUATION CONCERNS
The incident has also renewed scrutiny over CBSE’s Online Script Monitoring (OSM) system.
Vedant’s case emerged amid wider complaints from students alleging discrepancies in marking, evaluation errors and issues linked to digital assessment.
CBSE, however, recently clarified that the evaluation process itself had not changed. Board officials stated that only the mode of checking answer sheets had shifted, from physical copies to digital screens, while the marking process remained unchanged.
The board also addressed concerns over reports that nearly 13,000 answer sheets were manually evaluated, amid questions over whether the OSM system had contributed to lower scores compared with traditional checking methods.
POLITICAL ROW ERUPTS: RAHUL GANDHI, KEJRIWAL ATTACK CENTRE
The controversy soon turned political.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre over the CBSE OSM marking system and demanded accountability over student complaints.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also weighed in, calling the matter a deeper institutional issue.
“This is not just an exam issue. This is a trust collapse.”
Meanwhile, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, extended support to Vedant and demanded accountability from the Education Ministry.
A STUDENT’S GRIEVANCE BECOMES A LARGER QUESTION OF TRUST
For Vedant Srivastava, the issue began with unexpectedly low Physics marks. But what followed, an alleged answer sheet mix-up, online abuse, political intervention and eventual correction by CBSE, has turned the episode into a larger conversation on transparency and accountability in examinations.
While the board has maintained that the evaluation system remains unchanged, the incident has intensified demands for clearer mechanisms, faster grievance redressal and greater confidence in the digital assessment process.
And for many students watching closely, the bigger question now is not only about marks, but trust in the system itself.
What began as a routine request for re-evaluation after unexpectedly low marks soon snowballed into a national controversy for CBSE Class 12 student Vedant Srivastava, raising fresh concerns over the board’s Online Script Monitoring (OSM) system, evaluation transparency, and the emotional toll on students.
The controversy erupted after Vedant claimed that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE during the re-evaluation process was not his own.
The issue quickly gained traction online, drawing support from opposition leaders while also exposing the student and his family to online abuse.
After receiving the correct answer sheet from CBSE, Vedant’s family recalled the online backlash they faced, saying they were labelled “anti-national” and “Pakistani” for raising the issue publicly.
'I AM SHATTERED': VEDANT FLAGS ANSWER SHEET DISCREPANCY
On May 23, Vedant took to X alleging a major discrepancy in the answer sheet shared by CBSE.
“I am a CBSE Class 12 student. After receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics, we applied for photocopies of my answer sheets through the CBSE reevaluation process. Today we received the copies. And I am shattered because the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE is not mine.”
Vedant claimed the answer sheet mismatch could potentially affect his marks and college admissions prospects. He also raised concerns over possible errors in CBSE’s newly implemented OSM evaluation system.
The student alleged that the issue pointed toward larger concerns involving sheet mismatches and evaluation glitches.
‘HE WAS STUDYING, NOT TWEETING’: FAMILY RESPONDS TO ONLINE ATTACKS
As the issue gathered momentum, Vedant’s brother Siddhant Srivastava said the family faced severe trolling and abuse online.
“I am the brother of Vedant, and I am appalled by seeing how people are calling us Pakistani,” Siddhant wrote on X.
He clarified that Vedant did not even have a social media account and that the family had created one solely to raise the issue publicly. “Vedant did not have Twitter because he was busy studying instead of tweeting, and we made this account for tweeting his genuine issues because we could not apply for reevaluation.”
The remarks highlighted the emotional strain the family said they experienced amid the controversy, with efforts to raise their concerns publicly drawing trolling and personal attacks online.
CBSE REACHES OUT, SENDS CORRECT ANSWER SHEET
Hours after the issue gained traction online, CBSE officials reportedly contacted the family and shared what Vedant said was his actual Physics answer sheet.
Confirming the development, Vedant posted:
“We have got my correct answer sheet by CBSE. CBSE officials reached out to us in the evening and have sent my answer sheet. We were correct on our claims and the answer sheet indeed got exchanged.”
However, the controversy did not end there.
Vedant maintained that he would still seek re-evaluation after reviewing the corrected answer sheet more closely.
“We will still apply for reevaluation of this answer sheet after checking this sheet more closely, since they have slashed my marks even when the answer is correct.”
OSM SYSTEM UNDER SCANNER AMID EVALUATION CONCERNS
The incident has also renewed scrutiny over CBSE’s Online Script Monitoring (OSM) system.
Vedant’s case emerged amid wider complaints from students alleging discrepancies in marking, evaluation errors and issues linked to digital assessment.
CBSE, however, recently clarified that the evaluation process itself had not changed. Board officials stated that only the mode of checking answer sheets had shifted, from physical copies to digital screens, while the marking process remained unchanged.
The board also addressed concerns over reports that nearly 13,000 answer sheets were manually evaluated, amid questions over whether the OSM system had contributed to lower scores compared with traditional checking methods.
POLITICAL ROW ERUPTS: RAHUL GANDHI, KEJRIWAL ATTACK CENTRE
The controversy soon turned political.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre over the CBSE OSM marking system and demanded accountability over student complaints.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also weighed in, calling the matter a deeper institutional issue.
“This is not just an exam issue. This is a trust collapse.”
Meanwhile, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, extended support to Vedant and demanded accountability from the Education Ministry.
A STUDENT’S GRIEVANCE BECOMES A LARGER QUESTION OF TRUST
For Vedant Srivastava, the issue began with unexpectedly low Physics marks. But what followed, an alleged answer sheet mix-up, online abuse, political intervention and eventual correction by CBSE, has turned the episode into a larger conversation on transparency and accountability in examinations.
While the board has maintained that the evaluation system remains unchanged, the incident has intensified demands for clearer mechanisms, faster grievance redressal and greater confidence in the digital assessment process.
And for many students watching closely, the bigger question now is not only about marks, but trust in the system itself.
