Uttar Pradesh: Prime suspect in board exam paper leak apprehended in Agra

The Agra Police has arrested Vinay Chaudhary, the prime suspect implicated in the unauthorized dissemination of question papers for the Uttar Pradesh board intermediate examination on social media. Chaudhary's apprehension followed his attempt to flee to Rajasthan, which was thwarted by law enforcement. Currently, he is undergoing interrogation.

The incident unfolded when question papers for mathematics and biology exams of the Uttar Pradesh class 12 board surfaced on a WhatsApp group in Agra, just an hour after the examinations commenced on Thursday. The Agra Police swiftly took action leading to the arrest of Vinay Chaudhary. Law enforcement officials are intensifying their investigation gathering evidence at Atar Singh Inter College.

Investigations have revealed that the leakage of intermediate biology and mathematics question papers on social media was not accidental but a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the examination. Rajendra Singh, the centre administrator, strategically placed his son, Vinay Chaudhary, as a computer operator within the examination setup. Both Rajendra Singh and additional centre administrator Gambhir Singh were apprehended on Friday.

In response to the incident, Mukesh Chandra Aggarwal, the Board Observer conducted a meeting with centre administrators at PMShri Government Inter College, Shahganj. He issued stern warnings against tampering with the examination process, outlining consequences such as legal action, arrests, centre disqualification, withdrawal of recognition, and NSA charges for those found culpable.

To reinforce the integrity of the examination process, a revised set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) has been issued to center administrators, emphasizing stringent measures, including three-tiered question paper security and addressing manpower shortages.

Efforts are underway to revoke the recognition of Atar Singh Inter College, with recommendations from departmental officials. During a board meeting chaired by Board Secretary Divyakant Shukla, it was decided that any school breaching question paper confidentiality would face immediate recognition termination.

Rajkumar Saraswat, Principal of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Government Inter College, has been appointed as the new centre administrator, with Bhagwat Sharan serving as the additional centre administrator to oversee the remaining examinations.

The Agra Police sources revealed that the Biology and Mathematics question papers were widely circulated on WhatsApp groups just an hour after the commencement of the second shift examination on Thursday. The investigation is actively ongoing to trace the origin of the leaked papers.