UP govt cancels constable exam over paper leak, retest within six months

In a statement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that those found involved in using unfair means during the exam would face stringent action. “Those involved in using unfair means are under STF radar, and some big arrests have happened,” the CM said. In a post in Hindi on ‘X’, Adityanath said: “There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who toy with the hard work of youngsters will not be spared.”

A total of 48 lakh candidates appeared for the exam to fill 60,244 police constable positions. Over 2,370 examination centres were set up in 75 districts.

Officials Saturday said a case was registered in Lucknow over the alleged paper leak. The case was filed Monday against one Satya Aman Kumar, who had appeared in the examination, and one Neeraj, who allegedly provided the leaked paper to Kumar. Both have been arrested and sent to judicial custody.

More than 240 people were arrested and detained by the police across Uttar Pradesh for allegedly using “unfair means” in the recruitment exam.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday termed the cancellation of the exam a “victory of youth unity and student power”.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on X: “The cancellation of the examination is a win of the youth, and defeat of BJP’s miscreants. Initially, the BJP people were saying there was no paper leak. Have they accepted it now? This means the officers and criminals were hand-in-glove and the government also gave them backing. Despite all the evidence, the government had to bow down because of the fear of defeat in elections.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted on X in Hindi:”Till yesterday, people sitting in the government were making statements in an attempt to deny the paper leak. When their lies could not stand before the power of the youth, the examination was cancelled today.”

“Leaking of papers of every examination in UP is not only a proof of the corruption prevalent in the BJP government, what is more serious is the careless and misleading attitude of the government,” she said.