Three people were arrested and eight teachers suspended after an inspection of an examination centre in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district Thursday exposed mass copying on the first day of Class 10 exams of the state education board, officials said.

"Flying squad inspected an exam centre at the Polytechnic College and seized books and other study materials besides 11 mobile phones from the centre where more than 300 students were found involved in mass copying," Morena District Collector M.K. Agarwal said.

"Further action will be taken by the education department," he said.

"One student, his father and a teacher have been arrested," Morena District Education Officer (DEO) S.R. Prajapati told IANS.

As many as 70 cases of copying have also been registered, he said.

School Education Minister Archana Chitnis Wednesday directed the teachers, employees and officers deployed for exam duty to discharge their duties well and urged the district collectors and the superintendents of police to keep a constant eye on the situation.

"The minister talked to the officers of the districts which have sensitive and ultra-sensitive exam centres and apprised herself of the situation there. She instructed the officers of Bhind, Datia, Damoh, Rewa, Sidhi and Singrauli districts to exercise extra caution," an education department official said.