HSSC cancels gram sachiv exam after paper ‘leak’

Tribune News Service

Hisar, January 16

A week after the conduct of examination for the post of gram sachiv, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) today announced to cancel the examination after reports of paper leak at various centres.

Around eight lakh candidates had appeared in the examination for 697 posts which was organised across the state on January 9 and 10.

The commission though has not cited any reason behind the cancellation of the exam, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala stated that the HSSC took the step following recovery of question paper and answer key from some mobile phones as an unfair means.

Meanwhile, a special investigation team (SIT) of the Hisar police today arrested two more accused involved in the alleged paper leak case taking the total number of arrests to 18. The police have registered two cases after complaints from two exam centres in Hisar.

Police spokesperson Vikas Singh said two accused identified as Sandeep and Chandan were arrested by the police today. He said Sandeep was deployed as an observer at Saini High School in Hisar who clicked the photo of the question paper and handed over the phone to Chandan who took the phone to another accused Jitender. Jitender after solving the paper prepared an answer key and forwarded the same to Rakesh. Rakesh appeared in the exam in place of Amit at the centre in Campus School in HAU Hisar.

The police spokesperson said the SIT had arrested seven persons in the HAU centre case. Besides, other nabbed accused are Rakesh, Amit, Naveen, Jitender and Pravesh who have been sent to the judicial custody.

Another incident of paper leak occurred at the Sant Kabir School and the police have arrested all the 11 accused in the case, the spokesperson said adding that the arrested accused were identified as Praveen, who was original examinee, Yashpal, Pradeep, Jagbir Ravinder, Ankit, Ashish, Rupesh, Deepak, Vishnu and Deepak. The police had also seized electronic devices from them.

“The HSSC has become a centre of loot,” said Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala. “The incident has exposed the false claims of transparent recruitment by the government,” said Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Kumari Selja. Meanwhile, Karan Dalal, a former MLA from Palwal and senior Congress leader, has demanded compensation to all those who appeared in the examination.