Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJP and Congress slammed the State Government over the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) question paper leak issue and demanded strong action against all involved in the racket.
The OSSC had conducted the main written examination for recruitment of 1008 JE (civil) Group-B posts in different offices of the government of Odisha on July 16, 2023.
However, during an investigation into a fake job racket case registered in Sahadev Khuntia police station of Balasore district, the police came to know that the JE (civil) recruitment examination question paper was leaked prior to the test. Following this, the OSSC has cancelled the main written test conducted for the post and decided to conduct a fresh exam on September 3, 2023.
Speaking to reporters, BJP Spokesperson Anil Biswal asked how the question paper was leaked to the middlemen of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. The present OSSC Chairman Abhay, who is a former police DG, does not know the modus operandi to be followed when such a complaint is received, he asked.
Questioning the role of Odisha Government in the question paper leak case, the BJP leader demanded a SIT probe into the case and the officials of the OSSC involved in the scam should be brought under the purview of investigation.
Similarly, Odisha Congress President Sarat Pattanayak asked how the question paper was leaked when the BJD Government made tall claims that 5T and transparency is maintained everywhere.
“There is 5T but no transparency in the Government. Someone from the OSSC must be involved there. Otherwise, how did the question papers got leaked?, he asked.
The Congress leader said the state government should stop playing with the future of poor students of the state and take strong action against the culprits.
Reacting on this issue, BJD Spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said many such scams have been reported in the BJP ruled states, but no action has been taken. They are now politicising the issue when nine persons have already been arrested on the basis of the enquiry report of the government’s agency, he said.
Notably, the Balasore Police arrested nine persons in the fake job racket case and searched for the mastermind, who is from out side Odisha. The inter-state racket was mainly operating in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, MP and Delhi.
They were targeting jobseekers and posing themselves as close acquaintances of officials in organisations conducting examinations, the fraudsters were duping the job aspirants of around Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh from each candidate.
Meanwhile, The irate JE (civil) job aspirants have staged protest before the OSSC office here and demanded strong action against all those including officials involved in the scam.
“We have first waited for nearly a year for the examination. Now, after completion of the primal examination, the question paper of the main exam was leaked. The exam got cancelled and a fresh date was announced. Who will ensure us that the question paper will not be leaked before the next examination date?” asked a protesting job aspirant.
The prelim exam for the post was held in June this year and over 5,000 students have qualified for the main written test, which was conducted on July 16 last, he said.
The students alleged that the question cannot be leaked without the involvement of officials of the Odisha Staff Selection Commission. So, all should be brought under the purview of investigation, they demanded.
The names of the students, who got the question paper prior to the exam, should be published and they should be banned from the examination for three or four years, they demanded.
