New Delhi: Indian authorities have removed top education bosses from the exam board after marking failures in tests taken by nearly two million high school students sparked outrage and calls for protests. The controversy follows the board's acknowledgment of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in a digital marking system.

The Central Board of Secondary Education's chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta were transferred to other government departments, according to an order issued late Tuesday. Anger erupted last month when 19-year-old cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary alleged that weaknesses in a new marking system could compromise grading. Around 1.8 million students took the CBSE 12th grade examination this year, the final test before graduating.

The CBSE said the online marking system, deployed this year, was aimed at increasing "accuracy and efficiency" of results, but many students said it had assigned incorrect grades or issued results to the wrong students. The board has since "contained" the identified vulnerabilities and launched a re-evaluation portal for students complaining of incorrect grades.

Young Indians are pressing for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while online satirical group the "Cockroach People's Party" has called for peaceful protests on Saturday in New Delhi. The controversy follows a separate examination scandal last month, when authorities scrapped the nationwide medical college entrance exam after investigators uncovered a question paper leak.

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