'Cheating mafia' conspiring to defame Uttarakhand govt will not be spared: CM Dhami

Dehradun, Sep 22 (PTI) Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said “cheating mafia” conspiring to defame the Uttarakhand government will not be spared under any circumstances.

At an event here, the Chief Minister said that people upset with the government's strict anti-cheating laws are trying to defame the government.

Dhami said the alleged leak of three pages of a question paper in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level examination was a conspiracy to defame the state government.

"A similar attempt was made on Sunday as well, even though this is not a case of paper leak," he said.

The CM said that some cheating mafia and coaching mafia are conspiring to defame the government and it will be exposed soon.

He said that the culprits will not be spared under any circumstances.

Dhami stated that when he assumed office as Chief Minister on July 4, 2021, there were approximately 22,000 vacant positions in various departments, but due to the government's efforts, more than 25,000 young people have secured government jobs.

Not a single case of cheating has been reported in any of these examinations, he claimed.

The chief minister stated that the government enacted strict anti-cheating laws to prevent disruptions in the recruitment process, but some individuals, frustrated by this, began attempting to defame the government.

After photos of three pages of the question paper for the graduate-level examination conducted by the Commission for various departments went viral on social media on Sunday, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh stated that preliminary investigations have not found any organised gang involvement in the matter.

However, he acknowledged that someone from an examination center sent photos of some of the question paper questions.

He stated that the accused involved in this case have been identified and strong evidence has been obtained against them.

The SSP stated that social activist Bobby Panwar is also under suspicion in the case, who allegedly posted screenshots of the question papers on social media without any official confirmation or verification of the information, seeking to sensationalize the examination system.

Meanwhile, Commission Chairman Ganesh Singh Martolia also denied the matter as a 'paper leak' case, but said that the public disclosure of some pages of the question paper was a matter of concern.

Martolia also stated that mobile jammers have been installed at all examination centers, so it is surprising even to the Commission how some of the question papers became public.

He stated that the Commission has therefore requested the Dehradun SSP and the Special Task Force (STF) to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter.

Police arrested two accused -- Hakam Singh and his associate Pankaj Gaur -- on Saturday for allegedly luring candidates with the promise of passing the exam for Rs 12-15 lakh.

Hakam Singh, a resident of Uttarkashi district, was arrested a few years ago on similar charges.

Meanwhile, the Congress members protested and burned effigies of the Dhami government over this incident.

State Congress President Karan Mahara called this another major betrayal by the Dhami government of the future of millions of youth who have been waiting for government jobs for years.

"The Dhami government had enacted the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Prevention and Control of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, calling it the country's most stringent anti-cheating law. But today, all the Dhami government's claims have proven hollow and empty rhetoric,” he said. PTI DPT NB NB