School principal, police officer arrested for Rajasthan constable recruitment paper leak

The Rajasthan Police’s special operations group (SOG) arrested eight people on charges that they leaked the paper of the police constable recruitment exam on May 14. About 1.6 lakh aspirants will have to appear for this paper again

JAIPUR: Eight people including a school principal, her husband and a police officer have been arrested by the special operations group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police for leaking a paper of the police constable recruitment examination held on May 14.

The Rajasthan government cancelled the paper late on Monday. Officials said the examination held in the second shift on May 14 will be conducted again (Photo/Livehindustan)

Additional director general, SOG, Ashok Rathore said the investigators identified the examination centre in Jaipur suburb Jhotwara and arrested eight people found to be involved in the paper leak.

Those arrested have been identified by the police as Diwakar Public Secondary School principal Shalu Sharma (33); her husband and school director Mukesh Kumar Sharma (44); Satyanarayan Kumawat (62); Rakesh Dhanak (30); Kamal Kumar Verma (40); Roshan Kumawat (28); Vikram Singh Yadav (55); and assistant sub-inspector Ratan Lal Sharma (56).

The state government cancelled the paper late on Monday and decided that the examination held in the second shift on May 14 will be conducted again. Over 1.62 lakh candidates are eligible to reappear in the exam.

Additional director general of police (recruitment and promotion board), Binita Thakur said around 19 lakh applied for the constable recruitment examination scheduled to be held on four days, from May 13-16.

BJP lawmaker and party spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma rushed to attack the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot, alleging the state government has not been able to conduct a single recruitment examination on which doubts have not been raised and questioned the effectiveness of the stringent law that Gehlot insisted, would curb the menace.

On February 7, Rajasthan canelled the Level-II exam of Rajasthan Eligibility Exam for Teachers (REET) after its paper leaked. The SOG has arrested about 50 people including 14 candidates and seized ₹1.16 crore. The government also terminated the chairman of Board of Secondary Education DP Jaroli and suspended the board secretary Arvind Kumar for irregularities.

The Rajasthan government soon after brought a new law in the state assembly with strict provisions such as a jail term of up to 10 years and a ₹10 crore fine for use of unfair means in public examinations.