BPSC Exam Row: Bihar Minister Denies Evidence of Paper Leak Amid Protests by Civil Service Aspirants

BPSC Exam Row: Bihar Education Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary denied any evidence of a question paper leak in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exams amid protests by civil service aspirants. The statement was made as tensions were rising with demands for cancellation of the exam increasing less than a year before the assembly elections.

Speaking to the media, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that the government has acted with complete clarity and that senior officials have given a patient hearing to the concerns raised. He emphasized that no concrete evidence of a question paper leak has been provided so far and maintained that no such leak occurred.

Controversy occurred during the Combined Competitive Exams taken on December 13, where allegations of a paper leak occurred at the Bapu Pariksha Parisar examination center in Patna. Over hundreds of aspirants boycotted the process. As a result, a re-examination has been scheduled on January 4 for over 10,000 affected aspirants.

Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that the examination was held without any hassle at 911 other centers in Bihar and no complaints have been received from more than five lakh candidates. He criticized the spread of rumors regarding the alleged leakage of the paper and termed it a conspiracy to mislead the students and demanded accountability for those responsible for such misinformation.

Despite the reassurance from the government, the aspirants are still demanding re-examination at all centers as a level-playing field. The protest in Patna has gathered momentum with several political factions against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The Jan Suraaj Party, which was formed by political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor, has been vocal in support of the protesting aspirants. Kishor, who led a demonstration on Sunday that ended in a police crackdown, urged students to wait until January 1 for the government’s response and suggested resuming the agitation if no satisfactory action is taken.

The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, too, extended its support to the protesters by accusing Kishor’s party of being the “B-team of the government.”

It reaffirmed that all allegations of leakage of the examination paper are without any substance, and most examinations were held off without any controversy. The officers have asked all aspirants to believe in steps taken by it to put under control the lone disturbance that appeared at the center in Patna.

The controversy has ignited much public interest, with the re-examination scheduled and the response of the government towards the demands by the aspirants likely to hold far-reaching political and social ramifications ahead of state assembly elections.