The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Sunday arrested 15 accused from Vadodara with question papers after the Panchayat Junior Clerk recruitment exam which was scheduled for 11 am today was postponed due to a paper leak in Jamnagar, police said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Gujarat ATS Sunil Joshi said, "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. It is a very organised inter-state gang. The government decided to cancel the exam. Further investigation is underway."
"We had to ensure that the future of the students is not compromised. The exam should be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. The Gujarat Police and Gujarat ATS worked with a proactive approach after being instructed by the state government," the SP added.
Earlier, the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board, Gandhinagar, has said that the exam will be held afresh at the earliest, the date of which will be announced shortly.
"In the larger interest of the candidates, it has been decided by the board to 'postpone' the competitive examination to be held on 29-01-2023 at 11-00 am, which all the candidates are requested to take note of. Every candidate is advised not to go to the examination centre for the above reasons. The sadar exam will be held afresh at the earliest, the date of which will be announced by the board shortly," the board has said.
"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," it added.
Students and their parents who had reached the Jamnagar centre for the exam expressed disappointment and anger while demanding strict action by the government against the culprits.
Notably, a total of 26,882 students were registered for the exam in Jamnagar, while more than 7,00,000 people were expected to sit in the examination across the state.
( With inputs from ANI )
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