Harsimrat writes to Shah, seeks CBI probe into ‘paper leaks’ in Punjab

The Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has vehemently denied any paper leak during its tenure, terming it a political conspiracy to defame Punjab

Bathinda member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday urged Union home minister Amit Shah to order a CBI probe into the alleged 11 cases of examination paper leaks in Punjab to ensure justice to lakhs of students.

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal speaks in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Sansad TV)

“The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government does not have any interest in probing the paper leaks as this could result in indicting their own ministers. It is necessary to punish the perpetrators as they have played with the future of a generation,” the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader wrote in a letter.

The Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has vehemently denied any paper leak during its tenure, terming it a political conspiracy to defame Punjab.

Detailing the alleged paper leak cases in the last four years, the MP wrote, “The major cases include the Naib Tehsildar paper leak affecting 42,000 students, the TET paper leak affecting 1 lakh students, the PSEB Class 12 English paper affecting 2.5 lakh students, the agriculture development officers paper affecting 4,100 students and the PSSSB Group B Officers paper affecting 1 lakh students.”

“Even though serious lapses have been found in the functioning of the departments which conducted the papers, no action has been taken against those at their helm. Neither have education minister Harjot Bains and health minister Balbir Singh been sacked nor has the chief minister owned moral responsibility,” she said.

Badal alleged that instead of taking strict action in the paper leak cases, the AAP government had initiated a cover up exercise and was asserting that no paper leak had occurred in the state.