Himachal Pradesh JOA (IT) exam paper leak: Vigilance Department arrests six, including gov't employee

In the Junior Office Assistant-JOA (IT) exam paper leak case, as many as six persons, including an employee of the Himachal Pradesh State Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC), were arrested by the Vigilance Department on Saturday, December 24. The exam, which was scheduled to be held on Sunday, December 25, has been cancelled by the commission. Nearly one-and-a-half lakh candidates applied for the examination.

Giving more details, an HPSSC spokesperson said that the Vigilance Department had received a complaint that a tout named Sanjay had contacted the complainant with an offer to provide him with question papers, following which, a trap was set up. 

Further, the officials said that the tout contacted the complainant again to meet him at NIT Hamirpur from where he took him to the house of the senior superintendent of the secrecy branch, HPSSC, Uma Azad. They added that the tout and the official were apprehended there, as stated in a report by PTI.

The officials recovered a total of Rs 2.50 lakh. Also, solved question papers from Azad's house and her computer were confiscated. Moreover, some others who made online payments to the tout were also arrested by the police, the officials added. 

Course of action

A case has been registered in the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau in this regard, the officials said. And the woman employee was on the radar of the Vigilance Department for a long time, they added.

Not the first time

Earlier, this year, a paper on a constable recruitment examination was leaked which shocked the state. About 253 persons were arrested during the course of the investigation and chargesheets were filed against over 181 accused. 

Speaking on the JOA paper leak, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan, said that the police were keeping a strict vigil on all examinations in the process after the CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu made it clear on the very first day that the government would be transparent, accountable and responsive.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Suresh Kashyap termed the paper leak as unfortunate and said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) should be constituted to probe the case.