While sources said the truck was carrying HSC exam papers, both police and state board officials refused to confirm it officially. (File) A truck carrying ‘important and confidential papers’ of the upcoming Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination to Pune suffered heavy damage after it caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday on the Pune-Nashik Highway, said Ahmednagar Police.
Officials of the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) said they were in the process of taking stock of the situation and would share details on Thursday as to how this incident would affect the examination, which is set to begin in the first week of March.
Officials from Ahmednagar District Police said that the truck carrying HSC exam-related papers had started from a place in Madhya Pradesh and was on its way to Pune via the Pune-Nashik Highway. While sources said the truck was carrying HSC exam papers, both police and state board officials refused to confirm it officially.
Senior MSBSHSE officials told The Indian Express that there were approximately 2.5 lakh question papers in the truck which caught fire and the question papers were mainly of second and third language exams, which were scheduled to be held in the first week of March.
“There is a strong possibility that some language exams scheduled on March 5 and 7 may have to be rescheduled. The announcement will be made on Thursday,” said the official.
Ahmednagar District Superintendent of Police Manoj Patil told The Indian Express, “The truck carrying stacks of examination related papers caught fire in Chandanapuri Ghat in Sangamner taluka around 6 am. The truck and the cargo in it has suffered heavy damage.”
Sharad Gosavi, chairman of MSBSHSE, said, “I cannot divulge any details on exactly which papers were being transported but I can say these were some important and confidential papers related to the upcoming HSC examination. A team of state board officials, including myself, have reached the spot and are assessing the situation. On Thursday, we will be in a position to share details on what exactly the papers were and whether this incident will have any impact on the examination.”
Inspector Sunil Patil of Ghargaon police station said, “Preliminary probe by the Regional Transport Office suggests that the fire started in the cabin of the truck and spread over the entire vehicle. Local fire brigade responded to the incident and doused the fire. State board officials are assessing the situation.”
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