up police exam: UP Police Paper Leak Case: STF arrests another accused in Noida; UPPSC announces new steps to stop exam leaks

In a significant breakthrough, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested Rajeev Nayan Mishra (32), a resident of Madhya Pradesh, in relation to the recent police constable examination paper leak in Noida. Mishra’s arrest follows intensive investigations that unveiled his involvement in facilitating the unauthorized access to question papers stored in a warehouse belonging to a transportation company in Ahmedabad. He allegedly bribed employees of the transportation firm to pilfer the question papers, which were subsequently distributed among aspiring candidates.

UP Police Exam Paper Leak

Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General of the STF, disclosed that Mishra had further orchestrated a visit for aspirants to a resort in the Rewa area of Madhya Pradesh, where he purportedly showcased the leaked question papers for the UP police constable exam. Notably, Mishra has a history of involvement in paper leaks, having been implicated in similar incidents related to the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) and the National Health Mission (NHM) exams in Madhya Pradesh.

Police authorities revealed that Mishra, a graduate in civil engineering from a private college in Bhopal, established connections with the mastermind, Ravi Atri, approximately four years ago. Despite Mishra’s apprehension, the principal culprits, including Atri, Goldy, Vikram Pahal, and their associates Guniya, Dawood, Neetu, Monu Dhakla, and Anurag, remain at large. Thus far, a total of 399 individuals have been arrested in connection with the UP police constable examination paper leak.

The examination, conducted offline across four sessions on February 17-18, was invalidated by the state government on February 24, prompting the STF to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the matter. As the investigation progresses, authorities continue their efforts to ensure accountability and uphold the integrity of the examination process.

UPPSC Exams won’t be conducted in Unaided Schools

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has decided to implement significant changes in the conduct of written examinations for various competitive exams following the leakage of the preliminary examination paper of Review Officer (RO)/Assistant Review Officer (ARO). Henceforth, written exams will not be held in unaided schools across the state due to the revelation of collusion with these ‘finance-starved’ institutions in the paper leak case. The Commission will recommend to the state government to exclude these schools as examination centers.

Additionally, the Commission will require the list of examination centers from districts one month prior to the exams, with only government and aided secondary schools being designated as centers. In cases where unaided schools are proposed, the government will be notified of the inability to conduct examinations there. Furthermore, exam centers will be situated within a 15-kilometer radius of the district headquarters to accommodate candidates from various locations.

Question Papers to be Opened in Presence of Magistrate

To bolster exam security, question papers will be opened solely in the presence of a Sector Magistrate. Currently, a Sector Magistrate delivers question paper packets to multiple centers, sometimes resulting in unauthorized personnel receiving the packets due to the absence of the center administrator. Each center will now be assigned a Sector Magistrate to oversee the distribution of question papers and seal the answer sheets of absent candidates on-site.To maintain question paper confidentiality, consideration is being given to printing different sets of papers by various agencies. This measure aims to thwart cheating attempts by preventing the identification of the source of the question papers. In the event of a paper leak from one agency, the exam will proceed with papers from another agency rather than being canceled.

CCTV Surveillance Planned

The Commission is contemplating the implementation of CCTV surveillance, similar to that of the UP Board, to monitor exams. Discussions are underway to link school CCTV systems with the Commission’s control room to facilitate the secure delivery of question papers and online monitoring of exams.