‘UP a virtual hub of paper leaks’
LUCKNOW : The question paper leak of UP Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UPSSSC) recruitment examination scheduled for Sunday morning is not the lone incident of its kind in Uttar Pradesh. In the past 10 years, there has been a rash of question paper leaks of all the major examinations one can possibly think of, including medical, engineering, Bed entrance tests as well as ISC exam.
The state government ordered probe in all cases and culprits were nabbed but it was no deterrent as the gangs involved in the racket continued to work with zeal.
Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted that once again a paper was leaked and exam cancelled. This time it was the UPSSSC exam. One could understand the trauma of unemployed (youths) due to subsequent leaks of question paper, he said, adding this was an example of the increasing corruption and criminal-politician nexus in the state.
A police officer who investigated the leak of BEd and AIEEE entrance test, said UP had virtually become a hub of paper leak and those involved were not just small fry like clerks, students and printing press owners. In one case a KGMU doctor was also arrested. But the police could seldom nail the actual mastermind behind the leaks.
In June 2014, the Combined Pre-Medical Test (CPMT) was cancelled in UP after the paper was leaked in Ghaziabad. A highlevel committee was constituted and Special Task Force (STF) probed the paper leak.
In March 2013, ISC Class 12 English paper-II exam was rescheduled after a school in Lucknow opened its packet instead of English Paper-I and distributed it to the students.
On May 1, 2011, the question paper of the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) was leaked. The cops arrested a clerk of a bank in Jaunpur.
In May 2010, the BEd Joint Entrance Test-2010 conducted by Lucknow University was cancelled after a paper leak in Farrukhabad. Four people possessing papers were arrested.
In 2005, the Combined Premedical Test (CPMT) was cancelled following arrest of four members of a gang, including the owner of a coaching institute and a junior engineer in the Public Works Department (PWD) in Lucknow for leaking the question paper.
The police arrested a doctor for leaking CBSE AIPMT question paper in 2004.
The Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) arrested a teacher of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) for leaking the question paper for All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Test in 2002.
The investigation in both the cases continued for a few months and was then shelved under political pressure.
A top cop said that always, an organised gang had been involved in leaking question papers.
The ‘Munnabhai’ (impersonator) racket has also come to light in medical and engineer entrance tests.
The gang involved hires impersonators from coaching institutes as well as students from medical and engineering colleges to take the test in place of the original candidates.