Uttarakhand paper leak: Official, cops suspended; accused's shop bulldozed

Haridwar, Sep 25 (PTI) Taking a tough stand in the alleged paper leak case of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination, the state government on Thursday suspended the Sector Magistrate appointed for the exam in Haridwar and two policemen posted at the exam centre, officials said, adding the encroachment on government land by the family of the main accused Khalid Malik was demolished using bulldozers.

K N Tiwari, who was appointed as Sector Magistrate to conduct the examination in Haridwar amid uproar in the state due to alleged leakage of three pages of a question paper of the graduate level examination conducted by the Commission on September 21, was suspended on the prima facie charge of negligence in duty.

The order for suspension of Tiwari, posted as Project Director of the District Rural Development Agency, was issued by the Uttarakhand Rural Development Department.

Besides, Inspector Rohit Kumar and Constable Brahmadutt Joshi, posted at the examination centre, Adarsh ​​Bal Sadan Inter College, located in Bahadurpur Jat village of Haridwar district, were also suspended.

Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramod Singh Dobal suspended both policemen on charges of negligence and handed over the investigation of the case to Roorkee Police Circle Officer Narendra Pant.

The police have already arrested Khalid and his sister Sabia. Khalid had appeared as a candidate from the same examination centre in Haridwar.

According to the police, Khalid had taken a photo of the question paper from the examination centre and sent it to Sabia, who forwarded the questions to Suman, an assistant professor in Tehri, and obtained the answers.

Suman became suspicious of those questions, after which she took their screenshots and shared them with another person, who, instead of going to the police or any competent authority, uploaded them on social media. The screenshots went viral thereafter.

Meanwhile, a revenue and police team led by Laksar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Saurabh Aswal and Haridwar Rural Superintendent of Police Shekhar Suyal bulldozed a shop built by Khalid and his family in Sultanpur town, Laksar, allegedly on encroached Public Works Department (PWD) land. Khalid is a resident of this village.

Aswal said that the ongoing action against the alleged encroachment is underway, including the removal of alleged illegal constructions on government land at Sultanpur Ali Chowk and other locations. An adequate police force was deployed for security during the operation.

Previously, a case of electricity theft had been filed against Khalid's father. PTI DPT MNK KSS KSS