UP Govt Cancels RO, ARO Exam Over Paper Leak, CM Yogi Orders Retest Within 6 Months, Two Arrested

In a decisive move on Saturday, the UP government canceled the preliminary exam that was scheduled for February 11 to fill the positions of Assistant Review Officers and Review Officers.

Police personnel detain candidates, who appeared in the recently held UP Police Constable exam, during their protest over paper leak allegations, in Lucknow ( Image Source :PTI )

In response to allegations of paper leak, the Uttar Pradesh government took decisive action on Saturday by annulling the preliminary exam held on February 11 for the recruitment of Review Officers and Assistant Review Officers.

According to the PTI, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promptly directed that the examination be reconducted within six months. The task of investigating the paper leak has been entrusted to the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police.

A statement of the UP government said Adityanath's decision to cancel the Review Officers (RO) and Assistant Review Officers (ARO) exam conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) on February 11 came following complaints regarding certain questions from the question paper allegedly circulating on social media platforms.

"In this examination, complaints were received about some questions of the question paper allegedly going viral on social media, in connection with which a release was issued by the government to provide evidence of facts related to influencing the examination to the general public," stated the release.

"Subsequently, in view of the evidence provided to the government and the report available by the Commission, it has been instructed by the Chief Minister that the examinations of both the sessions of the Review Officers/Assistant Review Officers should be cancelled," it further added. 

Two Arrested By Special Task Force Of UP Police 

Officials confirmed on Saturday that the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police successfully apprehended two suspects implicated in the recent police recruitment exam paper leak from the Vibhuti Khand area of the state capital, PTI reported.

According to a statement released by the STF, the arrested individuals were purportedly part of a criminal network responsible for leaking the question paper of the Uttar Pradesh Recruitment and Promotion Board examination conducted on February 17 and 18.

Ajay Singh Chauhan and Sonu Singh Yadav, hailing from Prayagraj district, were taken into custody on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh | Ajay Kumar Tiwari, Controller of Examinations, Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, was removed from his present post and sent to the Revenue Council: UP Govt

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2024

The STF statement further revealed that their syndicate was engaged in facilitating solvers and disseminating leaked question papers to candidates preparing for various competitive exams.

Numerous documents related to the 2024 constable recruitment examination, two mobile phones, and some cash were seized from the duo, police stated, PTI reported.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the duo under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating by inducement), 467 (forgery of valuable documents), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 386 (extortion by putting any person in fear of death or of grievous hurt) at the Vibhuti Khand police station in Lucknow.