E-Paper
Bihar Public Service Commission exam cancelled after paper leak, inquiry ordered
A few hours after the 67th Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination was over, BPSC cancelled it on the recommendation of a three-member inquiry committee constituted by commission chairman RK Mahajan.
An examination to select candidates for government jobs in Bihar on Sunday was cancelled as a portion of the question paper was leaked just ahead of the test, the Bihar Public Service Commission said in a statement.
A few hours after the 67th Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination was over, BPSC cancelled it on the recommendation of a three-member inquiry committee constituted by commission chairman RK Mahajan.
The timing of the leak pointed to foul play at an examination centre, said commission secretary Juit Singh, who led the inquiry panel along with two deputy secretaries of the commission, Manoj Kumar and Kundan Kumar.
“The commission was informed about question paper leak and reports of it getting viral around 12.06pm through WhatsApp by a TV channel, but the exam had commenced by then,” said Singh.
A record number of candidates, over six lakh compared to 4-4.5 lakh earlier, took the exam this year, he said. The exam was held in 1,083 centres across the state.
The first of the two-stage test was supposed to shortlist eligible graduates for 802 vacancies in the state administration that include subdivisional officers, block development officers, deputy superintendents of police, and revenue officers, among others.
“The information was regarding Set C, and when verified, it was found to be true. But by the time the information arrived, the exam had started,” an official said, seeking anonymity. “Once the leak was established, there was only one option left, to cancel the exam.”
“The seal of the question papers are opened half an hour before the scheduled start of the exam. The exam began at 12 noon and the question paper of Set C seems to have been leaked around 11.30pm, when the seal of question papers was opened, from one of the centres,” Singh said.
Many candidates came to know about the leak after they came out of the exam centres. There were protests by agitated candidates in some places.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said he would discuss the matter with officials. “I have come to know of it ,just now,” Kumar told reporters outside the JD(U) state office in the evening.
The situation also took political overtones. “The BPSC name should be changed to ‘Bihar Lok Paper Leak Ayog’ for playing with the life of crores of youth and candidates,” leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav tweeted.
The commission has asked the state police chief to investigate the matter.
