Candidates sitting an army recruitment exam in India were ordered to take a written test in their underwear to prevent them from cheating.
Photographs show rows of young men sitting near-naked in a field in Bihar state as they completed the paper exam while being closely watched by uniformed supervisors.
Sources at Army Regional Office said the extreme measures were taken to “save time on frisking so many people”, according to The Indian Express.
Colonel V S Godhara, Director of the Office, told the website: “We conduct thorough frisking and ensure that candidates carry minimum external things to the exam centre.”
Officials confirmed there were 1,159 applicants sitting the hour-long written tests on Sunday.
One candidate, who asked not to be named, said: “As we entered Chakkar Maidan, the venue, we were asked to remove all clothes except underwear.
“We had no option but to comply with the instructions even though it felt odd. The gap between candidates was about eight feet in all directions."
Another said: “We do not expect to appear for such large scale examinations in halls, but telling us to remove our clothes was not dignified.”
An army officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “There is no question of the Army conducting a written test in this manner.
“It is only during physical tests and medical exams that candidates are asked to remove their clothes.
“The written test is a test of the mental faculty anyway, and making candidates appear for that in their underwear amounts to an administrative lapse.”
The east-India state has made headlines for cheating before. Last year, at least 300 people were arrested and 700 students were expelled in Bihar for mass cheating in school exams.
