Prateek Tanmay
3 min readAhmedabadJul 29, 2026 12:50 AM IST
More than 2,000 Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) students enrolled in 26 colleges in Gujarat took the Shalya Tantra-1 exam, the questions of which are suspected to have been leaked. The alleged leak is now under investigation by the Gujarat Ayurved University (GAU).
This comes just days after nationwide protests over exam paper leaks, which eventually led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union Education Minister.
Meanwhile, the Jamnagar-based university has had no full-time vice-chancellor since Mukul Patel, who was appointed by the government in March 2022 and retired in March 2025. After Patel’s retirement, the government named Vd. Nareshkumar D Jain, Principal of JP Government Ayurved College in Bhavnagar, the in-charge GAU VC in the same month.
Speaking to media persons in Jamnagar, Jain said, “The exam for the (Shalya Tantra-1) paper was held between 9 am and 12:30 pm. Then we found out that the paper shared similarities with a message going around on WhatsApp. When the university came to know about this, we called the police and set up an internal investigation committee, which included two principals and one reader. Whenever we get details either from the police or our committee, we will send the report to the government for further action.”
However, Inspector NM Gadhvi of Jamnagar City B Division police station told The Indian Express that the university had not approached the police and was probing the matter internally.
On Monday and Tuesday, The Indian Express attempted to reach out to Jain and in-charge Registrar H P Jhala for clarifications on these contradictions. Jain did not respond to queries. Jhala remained unavailable for comment.
Speaking to local mediapersons, Jain had said that their exam squad was at Shree Balahanuman Ayurved Mahavidyalaya in Mansa, Gandhinagar, when they learnt about the WhatsApp message. Jain also confirmed that around 2,000 students of 26 Ayurved colleges under the GAU had taken the examination on July 20.
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“We don’t know to what extent this (WhatsApp) message has spread. Whether it is one college, multiple colleges, or just among a few students. We don’t know whether it is a leak. We have told the committee to submit the report as soon as possible, and we hope that it comes within 3 days. Also, examinations are still underway. We don’t want to harass other students who may be called in to give statements,” Jain told media persons.
Asked whether a retest was in the offing, Jain said that it would depend on how far and wide the message had spread. “If it happened in all 26 colleges, we might take it again, but if it’s only among a few students, then we will take disciplinary action against them.”
On the exam paper setting procedure, Jain said: “Five officers set their own papers, and it is put on the (university) server. Then a moderator makes a final paper, and it is sealed. On the day of the exam, it is sent to colleges by mail and printed there.”
