Head Clerk Recruitment Exam Paper Leaked, Six Arrested: Gujarat Home Minister

Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, said that an FIR has been registered in Sabarkantha district in connection with the paper leak case.

Representational Image (PTI).

Gandhinagar: Admitting that question papers for the head clerk recruitment examination held on December 12 were leaked, the Gujarat government on Friday said six suspects have been arrested in connection with the same.

Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, said that an FIR has been registered in Sabarkantha district in connection with the paper leak case.

“Following reports in press and social media and based on our inquiry, we have registered an FIR at Prantij police station in Sabarkantha district against 10 persons, six of whom have been arrested,” he told reporters in Gandhinagar, IANS reported.

The six arrested so far include Mahesh K. Patel from Ahmedabad, Chintan P. Patel from Prantij and Dhruv B. Barot, Darsh K Vyas, Suresh Patel and Kuldip N Patel from Sabarkantha.

However, the kingpins of this scam - believed to be Jayesh Patel, Mahendra Patel, Satish Patel and Jaswant Patel - are yet to be arrested.

Over 80,000 candidates appeared for the recruitment examination for 186 posts.

Sanghavi said the decision on whether to hold fresh exams will be taken by the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSB).

“As of now, the focus is on solving the case,” he added.

The Gujarat government had earlier rubbished the paper leak allegations but ordered an investigation following public outcry.

Maintaining that the examinations held in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat and Jamnagar districts were completely transparent and the board did not receive any complaint, Gujarat Secondary Service Selection Board (GSSSB) chairperson Asit Vora had been repeatedly denying the paper leak.

Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, president of Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party’s youth wing, had earlier on Tuesday alleged that question papers were leaked from Sabarkantha district.

The AAP leader, who had even shared photographs to support his allegations, on Friday appreciated the action by the Gujarat government and the police.

He, however, escalated his attack on the Gujarat Secondary Service Selection Board chairperson.

“We appreciate the action by Sanghavi and the police, but we still don't trust Asit Vora. Earlier also, Vora was entrusted with probe into exam paper leak scams, but nothing happened,” Jadeja told reporters.

“Despite providing him with all the necessary evidence and submitting our complaint to him, he told the media that he has not received a single complaint. We think that a probe should be initiated against him as a suspect,” he added.

Asserting that the Gujarat government must at least remove Vora from the investigation if not from his position, the AAP leader said: “We have more proofs and will provide more, but we don't trust the GSSSB. We want to provide evidence only to Sanghavi and no one else. We are also demanding an SIT to be formed to find out the truth behind this paper leak.”