The Assam Police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) has detained 22 people in connection with the leak of the class 10 general science question paper of the High School Leaving Certificate examination conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA).
The examination, scheduled on March 13, was postponed to March 30 after a handwritten version of the question paper went viral on social media platforms on Sunday evening.
Out of the 22, two teachers and a driver were arrested later. A local court remanded them in three-day CID’s custody on Tuesday.
Assam’s Director-General of Police G.P. Singh said that the 22 people were picked up from Guwahati, North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sadiya, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. “We remain committed to unearthing the network of people involved in the leak of the question paper,” he said.
Police spokesperson Prasanta Saikia said the interrogation of the detenus, including some students and the arrested trio was on. “Some employees of SEBA will also come under the purview of the CID investigation,” he said.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, facing protests from the members of the All Assam Students’ Union and opposition leaders, told journalists that the police were trying to crack the case.
“It is unfortunate that some teachers and students are among those detained,” he said, asking anyone with any credible information on the case to help the CID.
The government spokesperson and Information Minister Pijush Hazarika said that the paper leak could have been a conspiracy to embarrass the State government. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is monitoring the inquiry, he added.
“The culprits will get stringent punishment,” he said, assuring that steps would be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
