Gujarat Junior clerk exam cancelled after question paper leak

As many as 9.5 lakh candidates had registered for the exam for 1,181 posts which was to be held at 2,995 centres across the state.

New Delhi, Jan 29: The Gujarat government's competitive examination for the recruitment of junior clerks was cancelled hours before it was scheduled on Sunday over its question paper leak.

As many as 9.5 lakh candidates had registered for the exam for 1,181 posts which was to be held at 2,995 centres across the state.

"Gujarat ATS was continuously keeping a watch on people who were related to previous paper leak incidents. 15 accused have been arrested from Vadodara with question papers. The government decided to cancel the exam. Further investigation is underway," said Sunil Joshi, SP, Gujarat ATS.

"On the basis of the information received by the police, a suspect Isam was arrested and a copy of the question paper of the above examination was found from him. Criminal police action and further investigation is being done," Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board, Gandhinagar said in a statement.

"The junior clerk (administrative/accounting) exam was to be conducted in different districts between 11 am and 12 noon on January 29. As per the information received from the police early Sunday morning, they detained a suspect and upon his interrogation seized a copy of the question paper from his possession," the board said in the statement.

The board expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the candidates and informed them not to go to the examination centres.

"The examination will be conducted afresh at the earliest, for which the board will issue a new advertisement," it said.

Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi claimed this was the 15th government competitive exam which was cancelled in the last 12 years because of question paper leak.

"The government claims to be taking strict action, but the main culprits have not even been arrested. The government is playing with the future of youth of the state," he alleged.

Doshi claimed the exam, for which the first advertisement was issued in 2016, was cancelled for the third time.

Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Isudan Gadhvi took to Twitter to target the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state over the paper leak issue.

Gujarat had been marred by a number of cases of competitive exam question papers leak that led to widespread agitation by the youth in the state.