Odisha JE Civil Main Question Paper Leak: BJP Demands SIT Probe; Congress Says 5T Missing

Bhubaneswar: Launching a stinging attack on Odisha’s BJD government over the leak of question paper of the recently-conducted main written examination of JE (Civil), BJP and Congress on Monday alleged that the recruitment process in the state is marred by rampant corruption.

While BJP sought to know as to how question papers reached the arrested persons of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Congress demanded stern action against those responsible.

Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, state BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said the state government should explain as to how the question papers reached the middlemen of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh who had been active here.

Stating that the present chairman of the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) is a former DGP, Biswal said he is supposed to know the modus operandi to be followed when a complaint is received.

Steps should be taken to ascertain whether anyone in OSSC is involved in the racket being run with the help of middlemen, he said, adding that questions are being raised over the role of the state government in these scams.

Noting that the issue falls under the purview of the General Administration department, Biswal said a thorough probe should be conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The officers of the OSSC involved in the scam must be brought under the purview of investigation, the BJP leader said.

Voicing similar views, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak demanded stringent action against those responsible. Though the BJD government has been making tall claims about 5T, the question paper leak showed that there is no transparency in the examination process, he claimed.

Stating that question papers cannot be leaked without the involvement of someone in the OSSC, the Congress leader sought to know as to why the state government is not punishing the guilty people.

The state government should stop playing with the future of poor students of the state, Pattanayak said.

Countering the opposition charge, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty claimed that many such scams have been reported in the states where the BJP is in power, but the saffron party is trying to politicise the issue in Odisha. Nine people have already been arrested on the basis of the probe report, he said.

It may be noted here that the OSSC cancelled the main written examination for JE (Civil) conducted on July 16, 2023 over question paper leak.

A day after the OSSC cancelled the examination, a large number of aspirants staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Commission on Monday.

Though a revised date for the conduct of the exam has been announced by the OSSC, the aspirants staged demonstration and demanded stern action against the staff and officials allegedly involved in the scam.