As protests snowball over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG 2024 and the cancellation of UGC-NET over similar concerns, a two-year-old letter written by then DGP of Himachal Pradesh Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has come to light.
In the letter, then Himachal Pradesh police chief Sanjay Kundu emphasised the need to review and amend existing laws to impose harsher penalties for crimes such as paper leaks as current punishments fail as deterrents. He suggested creating “special central offences” akin to Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) as well as establishing a national database of such crimes and criminals.
The recommendation from the Himachal Pradesh DGP to the CBI had come in May 2022 after a recruitment and paper leak scam hit the hill state.
“It is time to look at the extant laws and amend the same to award higher punishment in this regard as the current punishment is clearly insufficient in deterring such crimes,” Kundu had written in the letter addressed to the CBI director.
The letter, a copy of which has been accessed by News18, highlighted the alarming situation related to the paper leak in government service examinations and other central or state entrance or competitive examinations.
‘Paper Leak An Organised Crime’
Kundu in the letter had expressed concerns after the paper leak and recruitment scam affected thousands of job aspirants in Himachal Pradesh.
He went on to state how senior government officers across Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar have been part of the “organised network”.
“As the investigation progresses, perhaps involvement from more states will emerge. It seems that different touts were used by different kingpins for different districts. A central government income tax officer posted in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan has emerged as the kingpin of the Solan District module and has received money via online transfers besides cash. So summarily, what we are dealing with are well-organised gangs with presence in several states,” his letter had stated.
Kundu retired in April this year, but his letter to the CBI with the elaborate explanation on such exam rackets is still relevant, said a senior IPS officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
News18 has reached out to the former Himachal Pradesh DGP via calls and text messages for comment on the recent NEET and NET controversies. This story will be updated if and when he responds.
In his letter to the CBI, Kundu had stated that the capacity of “small police forces” to deal with such inter-state crimes is limited.
“There is no doubt that the demand for government jobs has gone up and the candidates qualifying government exams, even for Class 4 posts, tend to be mostly graduates. In such scenario, it is inevitable that there will exist a great demand for leaked question papers. Needless to say, that the capacity of small police forces to deal with organised crime of such large scale and inter-state nature is limited. Therefore, most states will find it difficult and cumbersome to pursue the accused in several states.”
“Also, there is the matter of laundering of money, an aspect that can only be properly looked into by the Enforcement Directorate. When the penal provisions for cheating and fraud were inserted in the IPC by the British, crimes like betting on sports and leaking question papers of government examinations were non-existent. We really have to change our strategy for such offences. It is time to look at the extant laws and amend the same to award higher punishment in this regard as the current punishment is clearly insufficient in deterring such crimes,” he further said in the letter.
Currently, the CBI is investigating at least six major paper leaks and recruitment scams across states, including in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. Meanwhile, the ED is considering taking over these cases to investigate potential money laundering aspects.
Use of AI in LEAKS
In a press conference held on Thursday evening, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan mentioned about the “institutional failure” and how the UGC-NET question papers were sold on the Dark Web. Kundu, in his letter, had mentioned similar details and had spoken about the use of AI in such rackets. The latter had also listed the modus operandi of such organised gangs.
“It would also be pertinent to mention here that the question paper for recruitment of constables in Rajasthan was also leaked around a week ago. What is emerging is that paper leakage all over the country has becomne an organised crime and the kingpins use laptops, computers, mobile, artificial intelligence and other technologies,” he had written.
“Since most of the public examinations are held on Sundays, the modus operandi of this ‘paper
organized crime’ appears to be the following,” he said, listing the modus operandi.
“It starts with getting a schedule of public examinations to be held all over the country and then getting the question papers through their organised crime networks. Secure the question papers, and then identify potential agents through a network of coaching centres. To avoid detection and evade arrest, they will keep changing their phones, sim cards and operational areas,” he wrote in the letter to the CBI.
Leaks, OMR Sheet Manipulation: Societal Malaise
A senior IAS officer serving in the Education Ministry told News18 that the ministry has recorded over 40 such instances of paper leaks in the past four to five years across states, including in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar and West Bengal.
The CBI is investigating the paper leak and recruitment scam cases in Rajasthan, Bihar and West Bengal. In some of these cases, education ministers and senior officers of the department were arrested. “There are several aspects in such cases. The OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheets were manipulated in some cases, while in some, the minister’s office or the concerned officers took bribes for jobs or to leak question papers,” the officer added.
In a recent instance, senior officers of the Enforcement Directorate stumbled upon a bunch of admit cards meant for a state service commission examination in Jharkhand while conducting raids at a senior officer’s residence and office premises, said a senior source in the ED, adding that the directorate is investigating it.
Talking to News18, Anil Swarup, former secretary, school education, said: “The tendency to cheat in examinations reflects a deeper societal malaise, starting in schools and fueled by corrupt public representatives like MLAs and MPs. These officials often encourage cheating in exchange for money, later being rewarded with high positions such as chief ministers and deputy chief ministers. This corruption is symbolised by the immunity they enjoy, signified by the flags on their cars, allowing them to evade any crime. This is where the problem begins.”
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