UP Board class 12 English question paper leaked, exam called off in 24 districts

The Uttar Pradesh Board's Class 12 English examination has been cancelled in 24 districts of the state after authorities suspect that the question paper was leaked. As per the schedule, the class 12 English exam was slated to be held today, 30 March from 2 pm to 5:15 pm. As per reports quoted by NDTV, the English paper was also being sold for Rs 500.

Through an official statement, Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, Director, Vinay Kumar Pandey informed that the revised date for holding the examination in the 24 districts will be announced soon.

As per the list, the districts in which the English exam was called off include Ghaziabad, Bagpat, Badaun, Agra, Mainpuri, Mathura, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Aligarh, Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Mahoba, Jalaun, Chitrakoot, Ambedkarnagar, Pratapgarh, Sitapur, Lalitpur, Varanasi, Kanpur Dehat, Etah and Shamli.

“The English examination in the second shift is being cancelled over doubts of the question paper being disclosed. In the 24 districts, the same was distributed and hence the examination stands cancelled there,” the official statement read.

Check the official notice here:

Around 51,92,689 students had registered themselves for this year's UP Board examinations. Out of which, 27,81,654 comprised high school students while 24,11,035 were intermediate students, as per a Hindustan Times report.

Among the high school students who listed themselves for high school examination, 12,28,456 were girls and 15,53,198 were boys. On the other hand, out of all those who registered for the intermediate exam, 13,24,200 were boys while 10,86,835 were girls.

The Uttar Pradesh Board exams for Class 10 and 12 began on and from 24 March, after a gap of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authorities also put in place heavy security arrangements to control cheating and other unfair practices. A total of 2.97 lakh CCTV cameras were installed in schools across the state during the examinations.

The ongoing exams will continue till 12 April for the appearing students. The exams are being held in two shifts; the first being held from 8 am to 11.15 am and the second from 2 pm to 5.15 pm.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials that the stringent National Security Act (NSA) be slapped against those involved in the leak and ordered the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police to probe the matter, an official said.

He also suspended Ballia's District Inspector of Schools (DIoS), Brajesh Mishra, following the incident, he said.

Uttar Pradesh minister in charge of secondary education Gulab Devi said, "It appears the English question paper of class 12 was leaked in Ballia. The matter is being looked into and strict action will be taken against the guilty."

Asked why the exam was cancelled in only 24 districts, Gulab Devi said it was done in only those districts where the leaked paper was distributed. "In the remaining 51 districts, the English exam is underway."

Additional Chief Secretary (Secondary Education) Aradhana Shukla said, "The question paper was leaked before the start of the exam. The matter is being looked into."

Confirming that Adityanath has directed slapping of NSA against the accused, Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal told PTI, "The chief minister has directed the STF to probe the matter and he suspended DIoS of Ballia Brajesh Mishra."

The order is in line with the state government's warning before the start of the Uttar Pradesh Board exam to slap the stringent NSA if anyone is found involved in a question paper leak.

Seizing the opportunity to hit out at the BJP dispensation, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Adityanath government of not wanting the exam to be completed as it "failed in providing employment".

"The business of paper leak continues even in the second term of the BJP government. The youth are saying the government doesn't want any exam to complete because it has failed in providing employment. The BJP government should run paper bulldozers on paper mafias, at least for a show," tweeted Yadav who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.

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