The class 12 English exam of the Uttar Pradesh secondary school board was cancelled in 24 districts on Wednesday after the question paper was leaked.
Cancellation of the exam was announced hours before the test was scheduled to begin at 2 pm.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials that the stringent National Security Act (NSA) be slapped against those involved in the leak and ordered the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police to probe the matter, an official said.
He also suspended Ballia's District Inspector of Schools (DIoS), Brajesh Mishra, following the incident, he said.
Uttar Pradesh minister in charge of secondary education Gulab Devi said, "It appears the English question paper of class 12 was leaked in Ballia. The matter is being looked into and strict action will be taken against the guilty."
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Asked why the exam was cancelled in only 24 districts, Gulab Devi said it was done in only those districts where the leaked paper was distributed. "In the remaining 51 districts, the English exam is underway." The exam was to be held from 2 pm on Wednesday.
Additional Chief Secretary (Secondary Education) Aradhana Shukla said, "The question paper was leaked before the start of the exam. The matter is being looked into."
Confirming that Adityanath has directed slapping of NSA against the accused, Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal told PTI, "The chief minister has directed the STF to probe the matter and he suspended DIoS of Ballia Brajesh Mishra."
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The order is in line with the state government's warning before the start of the Uttar Pradesh Board exam to slap the stringent NSA if anyone is found involved in a question paper leak.
The class 12 English exam has been cancelled in Agra, Mainpuri, Mathura, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Bagpat, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Sitapur, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Chitrakoot, Ambedkarnagar, Pratapgarh, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Varanasi, Kanpur Dehat, Etah and Shamli districts, Shukla said.
The exam will be scheduled later in these districts, education department officials said.
Seizing the opportunity to hit out at the BJP dispensation, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Adityanath government of not wanting the exam to be completed as it "failed in providing employment".
"The business of paper leak continues even in the second term of the BJP government. The youth are saying the government doesn't want any exam to complete because it has failed in providing employment. The BJP government should run paper bulldozers on paper mafias, at least for a show," tweeted Yadav who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.
