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Police quiz BSSC chief in job exam question paper leak case
The Bihar government cancelled the BSSC examination after the preliminary probe report confirmed that the “sanctity of the exam had been compromised.”
PATNA: A special investigation team (SIT) of Patna police on Friday interrogated Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) chairman Sudhir Kumar to track the trail of question paper leak in the now cancelled intermediate-level examination to recruit clerks in various government departments.
“The role of BSSC chairman is important in maintenance of confidentiality right from setting of question papers to its printing outside the state,” said an officer.
After the interrogation, Kumar said he had provided whatever details the SIT had sought from him.
“It was a preliminary examination. The questions are published under a system. There are many deficiencies in BSSC and I have apprised about it to top government officers and chief minister Nitish Kumar is also in the know of things,” he said, without elaborating further.
The BSSC was conducting the examination in four phases to recruit 17000 panchayat secretaries, revenue workers and clerks across the state. The racket came to light when handwritten answers of 127 out of 150 questions surfaced in public domain several hours before the first two phases of the examination were held on January 29 and February 5.
Though the government has cancelled the examination of all the four phases after the preliminary probe report confirmed that the “sanctity of the exam had been compromised,” the SIT is yet to track the full trail of leak.
Meanwhile, the SIT is planning to take action against BSSC secretary Parmeshwar Ram and AVN School proprietor Ramashish Singh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Both are currently lodged in jail in connection with the question paper leak.
The SIT has so far registered three FIRs in connection with paper leak case at Agamkuan in Patna, Shahpur in Danapur and Warsaliganj in Nawada.
“The link of those arrested at Agamkuan and Warsaliganj has been clearly established with Ram, as answer keys were found at both the places,” an officer associated with the probe said.
Police are said to have found roll numbers and details of many candidates in Ram’s cellphone. “Two admit cards and other incriminating documents were also recovered from Ram’s Bhagwant Nagar residence on Bhootnath Road in the state capital,” said Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj, who is heading the SIT.
Patna zone inspector general NH Khan said the analysis of documents seized at Nawada was on.
Subhash refutes police claim
Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Subhash Yadav on Friday refuted the Patna police claim that he was close to AVN School proprietor Ramashish Singh.
“I came into contact with Singh over 17 years ago when the RJD was in power. But after I came to know about his activities, I completely disassociated myself from him. In fact, I had even approached then Bihar governor Buta Singh for probe into the alleged recruitment irregularities in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC),” he said, adding the Patna police should make public the names of bigwigs whose involvement in the racket has been alleged by Ram during interrogation.
