MILLIONS OF INDIAN STUDENTS TO RESIT EXAM

NEW DELHI : India vowed on Thursday to strengthen its online security after high school exam papers were leaked ahead of crucial tests-

Forcing millions of students to resit their finals.

Education Minister Prakash Javadekar said an investigation was underway into how mathematics  and economic papers were accessed and spread via WhatApp before the exam.

''The criminals who did this won't be spared. I am sure that police will catch these people soon. Let me assure that we will further improve the system and make it foolproof,'' he told reporters on Thursday.

It is another reported  embarrassment for a government which has weathered storms around alleged cracks in a Aadhaar system, a data base containing the personal details of more than one billion Indians.

It comes as Facebook reels from a scandal over user data and India's ruling and main opposition parties accuse each other of mining and sharing followers' personal information.

The row erupted this weekend after a French security researcher flagged flaws with Prime Minster Narendra Modi's personal app, alleging that users' data was being shared without their consent.

The main opposition Congress Party's  Rahul Gandhi used the exam leak to revive the attack on Modi's administration over digital security.

''2.8 million students to take exams again!!! I mean is it a bloody joke?  Who is accountable for this big mess?,'' he posted on Twitter.

The Central Board of Secondary Education papers are crucial for students hoping to secure admission to some of India's most prestigious public universities and there was widespread anger at the leak [AFP]