Another leak, another HS paper postponed

After Physics, now Biology paper put on social media, source of

leak traced to Education minister’s constituency, exam pushed

back to March 19, red-faced AHSEC sets up probe panel

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, March 7: The higher secondary examition this year is resembling a boat developing leak after leak, with yet another paper circulating in social media sending the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council into a tizzy. A day before candidates were to appear for the Biology paper, it was found leaked, forcing the AHSEC to postpone the examition.

The examition will now be held on March 19.

The paper was allegedly leaked this morning at Sori, ironically the constituency of Education minister Sarat Barkataky.

Though the leaked paper was not identical to the one set by the AHSEC for the examition, it was "very much similar," the council authorities said.

A handwritten copy of the question paper found its way to the hands of examinees through social media.

An embarrassed council immediately constituted a committee comprising LN Tamuly and Jitram Dutta to probe the incident.

"We came to know about the leak from the electronic media. When we cross-checked, we found similarities between the paper circulated in social media and the origil," said a council official.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who tendered his apologies to the affected students, said he has asked the Education minister to ensure that such incidents are not repeated and that the culprits are arrested.

He ruled out resigtion of the Education minister, saying, "You cannot demand resigtion of a minister for each and every incident." The higher secondary examition this year commenced on February 15. Altogether 2,54,860 students are appearing for the examition. According to the origil schedule, the examition was to conclude on March 14.

An indignt All Assam Students Union described the incident as a "crime committed by the council and the government."

"We demand stringent punishment to the persons involved in the incident. After the earlier incident, we had asked the council chairman to ensure that such incidents do not recur. But unfortutely, it happened again today," AASU president Dipanka Kumar th said, adding that the students' body will stage a demonstration tomorrow.

Earlier, the AHSEC had to postpone its Physics examition to March 17 after the question paper was leaked hours before start of examition on February 24 last. The council had later lodged a case against the headmaster of Grahampur Higher Secondary School at Tamarhat in Dhubri district after a prelimiry inquiry by a council-appointed committee found a physics question paper from his residence.

The matriculation examition, conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam, has also been mired in controversy after over 12,000 answer scripts were charred in a fire in an evaluation centre set up in a school in Jorhat.

A suspect of the HSLC answer script burning incident, Bipul Kakoti, night watchman of Sankardev Semiry High school, was produced on Monday before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jorhat which sent him for four days police remand.