Bandi did not plan SSC paper leak: Warangal top cop

Hyderabad: In sharp contrast to the remand report, Warangal city police commissioner A.V. Ranganath on Wednesday categorically ruled out BJP MP Bandi Sanjay orchestrating the leak of the SSC Class 10 Hindi question paper found in several WhatsApp groups on Tuesday. The police made Sanjay A1 and arrested him in connection with the Hindi question paper leak.

However, in the remand report submitted to the local court at Hanmakonda, the police accused Sanjay of hatching a plan with other accused “to leak out ongoing SSC papers by taking a photo of a question paper in cellphone” as part of a conspiracy and “put it in social groups to defame the government”

Explaining the conspiracy, the Commissioner told mediapersons that conspiracy did not mean that bribes were paid and question paper was brought out. “The conspiracy starts after the question paper came out and (conspiracy is) sharing with media as part of game plan,” he said.

Much to the shock of the officials as well as parents, the Commissioner said it was quite normal that question papers would come out and answer chits would be sent into examination halls in several places. “In interior places, it is just limited to copying, but in this case, the paper was widely circulated in WhatsApp to defame the government,” he pointed out.

Asked how a person could enter the examination centre, climb onto the first floor and take a photo of the question paper with a mobile phone, the Commissioner maintained that there were limitations in guarding the examination centres.

“It is a sprawling campus. We will post two constables. Normally, question papers come out and answer chits were sent back. In Kamalapur, police chased away people when they noticed them trying to climb trees,” he said.

The Commissioner ruled out a political witch-hunt in the arrest of Sanjay and said though the question paper was shared with other BJP leaders, including Etala Rajender, police did not arrest him. He also defended police taking Sanjay into custody without issuing notice under 41A of CrPC.

The police commissioner repeatedly questioned Sanjay Kumar’s decision to not hand over the mobile phone to the police and asserted that more details would have been revealed if the mobile phone is handed over by the A1 (main accused). Police were in possession of the mobile phones of other accused, including A2 (second accused) B. Prashanth, who allegedly sent messages and made phone calls to Sanjay.

The commissioner highlighting the “missing” mobile phone of Sanjay came in handy for the supporters of BRS leader K. Kavitha, who faced allegations of destroying mobile phones in the Enforcement Directorate probe in the Delhi liquor scam. She later submitted phones to ED. Her supporters circulated the video of CP questioning Sanjay’s refusal to hand over his mobile on social media.

Ranganath built the case against Sanjay Kumar mainly depending on the WhatsApp chat between him and Prashanth in which the A2 provided inputs on the leak of papers, highlighting the failure of the government and seeking an answer on paper leaks from the tech-savvy minister K.T. Rama Rao.

“Sanjay used the same inputs in his statement after receiving them from Prashanth,” said the Commissioner.

Interestingly, the remand report clearly stated that Prashanth, a former journalist, had now been working as social media adviser to the state BJP president.