Paper leak: HSSC cancels Gram Sachiv examination; two more arrested in Hisar

Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar, January 16

Haryana Staff Selection Commission has announced it was nullifying the Gram Sachiv (panchayat secretary) examination that it had held last week—a development that comes days after authorities said they busted an examination racket.

Some eight lakh candidates from the state are believed to have taken the exam on January 9 and 10 in two shifts—morning and evening.  The examination was held for 697 panchayat secretary posts.

The commission did not cite any reason for its decision, but it comes days after authorities arrested several people who they claim were trying to digitally distribute answer keys to the exam.

The development also comes on a day when a special investigation team attached to the Hisar Police arrested two more people in the case—taking the total number of suspects arrested to 18.

Vikas Singh, a police spokesperson, identified the two latest suspects by their first names, Sandeep and Chandan. Singh claimed Sandeep clicked a photo of the question paper when he was deputed as an exam observer at the Saini High School. He sent the photo to Chandan, who enlisted another suspect, Jitender, to write down answers to the test. Singh said this answer key was then sent to another suspect, Rakesh, who allegedly took the examination in place of a candidate, Amit, at the exam centre, Campus School in Hisar’s HAU.   

Rakesh, Amit, Jitender, and two other suspects, Naveen and Pravesh, have already been arrested in the case. The total number of people arrested in connection with the scam at the exam centre at HAU stands at seven.

Rakesh, Amit, Jitender, Naveen, and Pravesh are currently in judicial custody.

Besides, 11 people have been arrested in a similar scam at the exam centre at Sant Kabir School.