After paper leak, HP Police bar shoes, jackets, ornaments for re-exam

Multi-tiered security in place to prevent unfair means; IG, DIG as observer for each range on lines of Election Commission duty to monitor Sunday’s test

Taking no chances after the police constable recruitment leak in March, the Himachal Pradesh Police have asked the examinees taking the re-examination on Sunday to wear slippers and flip-flops and not socks and shoes to the examination hall. The examinees have been prohibited from wearing jackets and metal ornaments, too, to rule out the use of unfair means.

The Himachal Pradesh police department is holding the constable recruitment exam again on Sunday after the paper was leaked on March 27. (Representative photo)

The police department is holding the exam again after the paper was leaked on March 27. “Come wearing light clothes and bathing slippers and don’t wear any metal ornaments,” reads the list of instructions for the candidates.

As many as 75,803 candidates had appeared for the exam at 81 centres across 11 districts of the state. The police have so far arrested 171 people, from history-sheeters to cricket organisers, an engineer, a transporter, a railway clerk, and even an income tax officer. Those arrested include touts, fathers of nine candidates, 116 examinees who bought papers, and 46 middlemen of 21 are agents from the state who helped the kingpin spread his network before of the exam. They have been booked under Sections 420 (cheating), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or proving false information) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

This time, police have sent call letters to examinees via SMS on their mobile numbers. The aspirants have been asked to reach the examination venue three hours before the start of the paper. Metal detectors have been installed at the centres to frisk candidates.

The candidates have been barred from carrying any kind of electronic device, such as mobile phone, laptop, calculator, earphones, Bluetooth device, besides books and magazines.

“We have put multi-tiered access control and security system in place for the written examination to prevent foul play and unfair means. An inspector general (IG) and a deputy inspector general (DIG) have been appointed as observer each for a range on the lines of Election Commission duty to independently monitor the written examination process,” said state director general of police Sanjay Kundu.

The police have constituted a five-member committee for conducting the examination. The committee is headed by additional director general of police Abhishek Trivedi, other members include inspector general DK Yadav, DIG (Intelligence) Santosh Patial, DIG Vimal Gupta, Police Training Centre, Daroh, principal IG PD Prasad, DIG Madhusudhan Sharma and DIG Sumedha Diwedi.