Bhubaneswar: Vice-president (VP) of Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, Nihar Ranjan Mohanty did not follow the security protocols and gave access of the laptop to the data entry operator with suspicious conduct, Crime Branch DG Vinaytosh Mishra told the media following his arrest in the Special Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) paper leak case on Sunday.
“Mohanty was responsible for setting the question paper and coordinating with the controller of the exam. He did not delete the question paper from the laptop as per the protocol after mailing it to the printing press in Bhopal, which had resent the printed question papers to him for proof reading. Mohanty was the only person here who had the password to access it,” the DG said.
Mishra further stated that the data entry operator of BSE, Jitan Moharana, worked under the controller of the exam and had no role in the examination. “The BSE VP gave Jitan the access to his laptop though he was earlier removed from the concerned section for his suspicious conduct. The call detail record of Mohanty also revealed that he had interacted with Jitan on more than 100 occasions after office hours in the last 2-3 months. This abnormal communication turned the needle of suspicion towards Mohanty whom we earlier suspected of negligence,” he said.
The BSE vice-president, who earlier worked as controller of exam, was in complete know-how of the examination process and Jitan’s suspicious conduct. “The probe and sustained interrogation exposed the close cooperation and coordination between the two,” he claimed.
The DG further informed that answer keys were leaked earlier in an OTET exam in Malkangiri. “The exam in Malkangiri section was then cancelled. Though Jitan’s role was strongly suspected in the leak, no FIR was lodged and the BSE office hushed up the matter. Jitan was removed but brought back to the section after 2-3 months. This is for the first time the matter is with the police,” he said.
He further stated that investigation into financial transactions is underway to ascertain involvement of others in the case.
Besides Jitan, working president of State Ex-cadre Teachers’ Association Bijay Mishra and president of its Koraput unit Sanatan Bisoi were arrested on July 30 along with three brokers – Ramjee Prasad Gupta, Ajay Sahoo and Jayant Rout – to whom they sold the papers. A teacher from Kalahandi district, Prasant Kumar Khamari, who had handwritten question papers of OTET which were viral on different social media platforms, was nabbed on August 1.
Also Read: Teacher Who Handwrote OTET Leaked Question Paper Nabbed; Total Arrests 7
The OTET for in-service primary and upper primary school teachers across the state was abruptly postponed just hours before the scheduled examination on July 20 after images of handwritten question papers began circulating on social media the previous evening. The decision left more than 75,000 candidates in shock and dismay.
On August 1, the board had officially announced that the Special OTET 2025 will now be conducted on August 31. The examination will be held in two sittings on the same day.
Also Read: Special OTET To Be Held On August 31; Check Details
