Uttarakand: Service selection board seeks police probe into exam paper leak

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) on Sunday said it has sought a detailed police probe into the alleged leak of some pages of the graduate-level exam paper, even as the Congress attacked the Pushkar Singh Dhami government over the issue.

Commission chairman Ganesh Singh Martolia said, “This is not a case of paper leak. Three pages of the question paper have been leaked from a centre. If they have been leaked, it is possible they may have been taken elsewhere or solved by someone.”

Martolia said mobile jammers had been installed at all centres, and the commission was surprised at how some pages still leaked. A letter has been sent to the Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and the Special Task Force (STF) for an immediate probe, he said. “The Commission has written to the STF and SSP of Dehradun to investigate the matter immediately,” the official said. He added that the commission was also conducting an internal inquiry to identify the centre from where the pages leaked.

On Saturday, police arrested two accused -- Hakam Singh, a resident of Uttarkashi, and his associate Pankaj Gaur -- for allegedly luring aspirants with the promise of clearing the exam for Rs 12 to 15 lakh. Singh had been arrested earlier on similar charges. agencies

Uttarakhand Congress president Karan Mahara hit out at the BJP, alleging that the Dhami government had failed to curb the paper leak mafia despite enacting a stringent anti-cheating law.

This is another betrayal by the Dhami government for the state’s youth, who have been waiting for jobs for years, he said in a statement issued here.

Mahara said, “The Dhami government had enacted the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Prevention and Control of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, calling it the country’s most stringent anti-cheating law. However, all those claims have proven hollow and empty.”

He said that the Congress party had previously expressed apprehension that the government was protecting prominent leaders and high officials in the entire case.

He alleged that the mafia is still active in the state while the government remains “inactive,” and said the Congress will fight at every level to protect the interests of the youth.