Patna, Feb 27 (IANS): Over 1,200 students in Bihar have been disqualified from class 12 examinations for cheating and dozens of other people have been arrested for helping them, an official said on Saturday.

"The students were disqualified on charge of adopting unfair means," said Hariharnath Jha, an official of Bihar School Examination Board.

He said "dozens" of people who helped the students to cheat have been arrested. 

This year an examinee found to be cheating would be disqualified for three years; earlier, the period of disqualification was only a year, Jha said.

The action against cheating students took place over three days of the class 12 exams: 400 examinees disqualified on Wednesday, 350 on Thursday, and 490 on Friday.

Reports reaching here from different parts of the state suggest that some invigilators and guardians have also been booked for helping the examinees in using unfair means.

About 70,000 officials, including teachers and policemen, have been on duty to hold the examinations, Jha said. 

The examination centres are also being monitored by CCTV cameras.

To deter mass cheating, the authorities also decided to impose a fine of up to Rs.10,000 on an examinee found using unfair means and to punish the guardians found helping their children in cheating.

About 11.60 lakh students had appeared for Class 12 exams at 1,109 centres across the state on Wednesday.