UPPSC seeks STF probe in paper leak allegations

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has asked the state police’s Special Task Force to investigate the allegations of a question paper leak in the preliminary recruitment examination for review officers and assistant review officers (ROs/AROs).

The test was held for recruitment to 334 posts of RO and 77 posts of ARO on Sunday.

However, aspirants and some student organisations alleged that the question paper had been leaked before the exam started.

UPPSC secretary Ashok Kumar said on Tuesday that while the commission had constituted an internal committee to look into the issue, following the reports and claims of the paper leak, it had also sent a formal recommendation to the state government requesting for an STF probe into the issue.

Meanwhile, aspirants claimed that the RO/ARO examination paper had been leaked the night before the exam and was available on certain WhatsApp groups.

Omkar Nath Singh, the commission’s secretary, had earlier said the exam was held at 2,387 centres, and that 64 per cent of the registered candidates took it.

On Monday, aspirants staged a protest outside UPPSC headquarters in Prayagraj and demanded that the exam be re-conducted.

In Lucknow, National Students’ Union of India’s Lucknow University unit staged a protest over the issue on the university campus.

Later in the evening, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took to social media to allege that there was a question paper leak in the exam. She wrote: “After waiting for many years, a law against paper leaks was passed in Parliament. On the other hand, the review officer exam paper was leaked in U.P!”