NEET-UG paper leak case: Principal's arrest stuns Hazaribag

HAZARIBAG: Arrest of principal of Hazaribag's Oasis School, Ehsanul Haque, by CBI in NEET-UG paper leak case has left those who have known him since his days of struggle in shock and disbelief. Many of them find it hard to accept that the soft-spoken teacher, who built the reputation of Oasis as the city's premier school from scratch, could be involved in the paper leak.
Haque, 42, once ran a coaching institute called 'Seed' on Pugmil Road in the city.In 2013, he was roped in to head the Oasis School, located on Mandai Road in Hazaribag district, at its inception by its owner and chairman, Shabbir Ahmad.
He faced significant challenges, right from taking the school to new heights to securing a CBSE affiliation, but succeeded in both, making Oasis one of Hazaribag's most sought-after schools, thanks to its top-notch infrastructure and faculty.

The school, which started with 100-odd students in 2013, now has over 4,000 students and over 40 teachers, and runs from a modern building with state-of-the-art facilities for academics and sports. The school got CBSE affiliations for classes X and XII in 2020.
Sources said a total of 118 students appeared in class X board exams in 2012-2022, and the school had a 100% pass percentage, with 38 students securing marks above 85%. In 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, too, all students who appeared for class X and XII board examinations passed.
The academic success of the school also established Haque, who holds PhD and BEd degrees, among the noted academicians in Hazaribag. After being appointed as CBSE coordinator, he became a prominent figure of the city and was often invited to various programmes organised by different schools, said one of his acquaintances. Haque, his friends revealed, comes from a humble background. His father, a former employee of Central Coalfields Limited, passed away recently. A bachelor, he takes care of his two younger brothers and their families, and a married sister. "He always remained busy from morning to evening, with most of his time spent at the school," one of his friends said.
The staff at Oasis School and his neighbours in the Hasmia colony are still in shock over his arrest on Friday. None in the school or the locality wished to speak anything on record on Saturday.
"It's beyond my expectation as to why he did what he did. It's a tough time for his family," said one of the locals, who did not wish to be identified. Another person said, "When the almighty gave him everything, right from the chair of a big school to the CBSE coordinator, what was the use of indulging in wrong activities?"