Due to the paper leak from a coaching centre in Atladra, Vadodara, the Gujarat government cancelled the Panchayat Junior Clerk recruitment competitive exam on Sunday morning, a few hours before it was scheduled to be taken.
गुजरात में एक बार फिर पेपर लीक हुआ
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) January 29, 2023
◆ जूनियर कर्ल्क की परीक्षा का पेपर लीक हुआ
Gujarat | Gujarat Paper Leak pic.twitter.com/ULZl6M8zSc
The Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board (GPSSB), which was to administer the exam for 1,181 positions beginning at 11 am, at 2,995 locations throughout the state, received at least 9.53 lakh registrations.
At least 15 individuals were arrested by the Gujarat (Anti-Terrorist Squad) ATS team in connection with the case, including the primary accused Bhaskar Chaudhary, who operates coaching centres in Vadodara and Ahmedabad, as well as another principal accused Jeet Nayak, who works in a printing press in Hyderabad, and Pradip Nayak, who runs a coaching institute in Odisha.
KL Hightech, a Telangana-based company, was given the contract to print the recruitment exam’s question papers. The question paper was leaked by Jeet Nayak and given to Pradip Nayak. The latter was previously taken into custody by ATS Gujarat.
જુનિયર ક્લાર્ક પેપર લીક મામલે મોટો ખુલાસો
— News18Gujarati (@News18Guj) January 29, 2023
જીત નાયકે પ્રિન્ટીંગ પ્રેસમાંથી પેપર લીક કર્યું#Gujarat #junior_clerk pic.twitter.com/g30gKGXLgJ
Ketan Barot, another accused, is currently in police custody. He is a well-known name for nine years in the admissions industry. Ketan has been incarcerated due to a fake admission case. The alleged paper leaker has previously been in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. His Disha Education Consultancy manages Gorakhandha. Ketan is a property owner in Ahmedabad and Barot Baid. He is currently being questioned by Gujarat ATS.
#Gujarat Junior Clerk exam paper leak : Ketan Barot is a history-sheeter, He was also arrested in Bogus admission case . #juniorclerkexam pic.twitter.com/vFrrk6F5Ek
— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) January 29, 2023
“We have got a tip off about the paper leak on Saturday night after which we raided a coaching centre in Atladra in Vadodara and found a hard copy of the question paper,” stated Superintendent of Police (SP) Gujarat ATS Sunil Joshi.
Gujarat ATS was continuously keeping a watch on people who were related to previous paper leak incidents. 15 accused have been arrested from Vadodara with question papers. The government decided to cancel the exam. Further investigation is underway: Sunil Joshi, SP, Gujarat ATS pic.twitter.com/upmKgcUQei
— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2023
Currently, five distinct locations throughout the nation and two locations in Gujarat have seen raids conducted by various teams of the Gujarat ATS. The officer said that disclosing the details of the raids may jeopardize the probe.
He further added, “The Government had instructed police and agencies to keep a close vigil over the persons who were involved in illegal activities like providing the competitive exam papers in lieu of money. We came to know Saturday night only that someone that someone had managed one hard copy from the printing press. After which we raided a coaching class in Atladra of Vadodara and caught the accused. We also recovered the hard copy of the exam paper from Pradip Nayak.”
The board, meanwhile, in a statement informed the candidates about the situation and advised them not to visit the examination venues.
આ પંચાયતી પરીક્ષા રદ કરી સરકાર નો નિર્ણય ખુબજ સરાહનીય છે ભલે ઉમેદવારો ને મુસાફરી નો ધક્કો ખાવો પડે પરંતુ આ કૃત્ય કરનારાઓ ને સજા કરી ને આ પ્રવૃત્તિ બંધ કરવી જરૂરી છે.good job#ગુજરાત panchayati seva mandal#Gujarat sarkar pic.twitter.com/7Z6vGyg3qX
— Sohail Dahya (@sohaildahya1) January 29, 2023
“In the larger interest of the candidates, it has been decided by the board to ‘postpone’ the competitive examination to be held on 29-01-2023 at 11-00 am, which all the candidates are requested to take note of. Every candidate is advised not to go to the examination centre for the above reasons. The sadar exam will be held afresh at the earliest, the date of which will be announced by the board shortly,” the board has said.
Sandeep Kumar, the chairman of the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board, today, said that an interstate group was responsible for the leak of the junior clerk recruitment exam paper, which has now been revoked.
Guj | One suspect was held by the police early morning today. During questioning, he revealed about the paper leak. 15 accused caught till now. This appears to work of an organised gang: Sandip Kumar, Incharge Chairman, Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board on paper leak pic.twitter.com/2w1400VcAC
— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2023
“Interstate organized gang is behind the junior clerk paper leak. It is an organized crime. Police were on alert mode because of the competitive exams schedule, through human intelligence and technical surveillance, ATS was able to crack the racket, and has arrested 15 accused in this connection,” he told media persons.
According to Kumar, the board decided to cancel the tests in the interest of the greater good and will announce new dates in 100 days. In addition, he stated that exam participants will not be required to pay bus fares to and from their exam locations.
He said that during the last five years, the GPSSB has successfully filled 21,000 positions in 41 different panchayat cadres out of more than 30 lakh applicants.
