Hindi question paper leaks on 2nd day of SSC examinations in Telangana

Warangal: The goof-ups in conducting SSC examinations continued for the second day on Tuesday with two incidents — the Hindi question paper being shared on social media minutes after the commencement of the exam and a bundle of answer sheets going missing — reported from Hanamkonda and Adilabad districts respectively.

Warangal police arrested two persons and took a minor into custody after they were found responsible for sharing Hindi question paper, which they managed to get from an exam centre in Uppal village of Kamalapur mandal, in WhatsApp groups.

In Utnoor of Adilabad district, a bundle of answer sheets of Telugu exam held on Monday, was found missing and officials suspect that it had fallen from the autorickshaw in which the bundles were being shifted from the local post office to bus stand for further shipment to valuation centres.

The goof-up took a political turn with Warangal commissioner of police A.V. Ranganath announcing that one of the accused, Booram Prashant, had shared the question paper with state BJP president Bandi Sanjay.

The BRS social media cell circulated the photographs of Prashant tying rakhi to Sanjay and accused the rival party of indulging in petty politics and causing severe anxiety to lakhs of students and their parents for narrow political gains.

This escalated by evening with ministers P. Sabitha Indra Reddy and T. Srinivas Yadav calling the question paper leaks a politically motivated activity by the BJP, aimed at destroying the reputation of the BRS government.

However, Sanjay hit back saying that the government, through the police, was targeting people, in Tuesday’s case Prashant, a mediaperson, for exposing the government’s failure in conducting incident free exams.

Commissioner Ranganath who repeatedly said Sanjay was one of the recipients denied any political conspiracy. "We have to further investigate," he told mediapersons.

According to police, a minor gained entry into the examination centre by climbing a tree and jumping off the compound wall. He clicked the photo of the question paper shown by his friend from the window. "The idea is to help his friend with answers," Ranganath maintained.

The minor then shared the paper with one Shiva Ganesh fifteen minutes after the exam commenced at 9.30 am who in turn posted it in a WhatsApp media group "SSC 2019-20". Prashant, who was also a member of the specific group, shared it in other groups besides sending it to individuals including the State BJP president, according to the commissioner.

Earlier in the day, Sabitha Indra Reddy said the state government would take action against those trying to create trouble during the examinations. “4.95 lakh Class X students are writing their board exams and the government would not spare anyone trying to hamper the examination process and will be permanently removed from their jobs,” she said.

She appealed to all the officials, the district collectors, teachers, school managements, police, postal, school education, police, postal, health and RTC officials to work in coordination for the conduct of exams so that the students can write the exams without any stress. She held a video conference with officials of various departments.