Haryana cops say CBSE being casual: ‘It’s IG who is talking of leak’

The Haryana Police has issued notice to the CBSE under provisions of the CrPC, summoning all sets of question papers and answer keys for further investigation.

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CBSE controller K K Chaudhary has denied any “leak” in the AIPMT exam held on May 3, but Haryana Police maintained that the exam stands compromised because of the “leak”. “It is not a constable who is saying the AIPMT paper was leaked. It is the Inspector General of Police who is saying it,” Rohtak range IG Shrikant Jadhav said.

“We have got two sets of answer keys (Set E and F). We have got the answer keys verified from a private PMT coaching institute in Rohtak. In the first set, out of 60 answers, 50 were found genuine. There were 90 questions in the other set, which have been found genuine. The recovery of answer keys has been made from the accused who we arrested and interrogated. We had intercepted their mobile phones. I myself heard the conversations, constituted a team and raided the place from where we arrested four persons. CBSE is adopting a casual approach and is not taking us seriously,” Jadhav told The Indian Express.

“We have got vital clues. We are developing further information and more arrests are likely in the coming days… I am getting calls from worried parents from all over the country, who want this examination to be conducted again,” Jadhav said.

The exam took place on May 3. The next morning, the Haryana Police disclosed the arrest of four persons, including two BDS doctors, Sanchit and Bhupender, a second-year MBBS student Ravi Attri and their accomplice Rajesh. From their possession, police recovered nine bluetooth unit-fitted vests purchased from a shop in New Delhi.
The kingpin in the alleged racket, Roop Singh Dangi, a resident of Meham, Rohtak, is at large. Dangi’s close aide, Krishan, too has been arrested by police.

Haryana Police also claimed to have obtained CCTV footage from a hotel in Behror in Alwar district of Rajasthan, where Dangi allegedly held a meeting with at least nine persons who played a role in the scam. Of these, seven have been identified by police.

On May 7, CBSE controller Chaudhary had issued a statement, saying, “During the examination or after the examination, no reports were received from any quarters regarding the leak as alleged. The first news report of the leak appeared only on May 5 after a lapse of two days.”

Jadhav claimed that the Haryana Police had informed Chaudhary about the alleged paper leak on May 4. “We made the arrests on May 4. The same day, Shashank Anand, the Superintendent of Police, Rohtak, had himself spoken to the CBSE controller and informed him about the alleged paper leak. It is surprising that the CBSE is still maintaining that the paper was not leaked.”

CBSE has maintained that “the issue pertains to the use of unfair means and attempts to cheat”. “On careful study of the press reports, it appears that the issue pertains to the use of unfair means and attempt to cheat by certain unscrupulous elements after the commencement of the paper. The police department of the area is initiating suitable action as per law,” the CBSE statement reads.