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The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday cancelled the recently held police constable recruitment examination following allegations of question paper leak and ordered a re-test within six months.
The state government also announced a probe into the allegations by the Special Task Force (STF).
More than 48 lakh candidates appeared in the examination conducted on February 17 and 18 across the state.
In a post in Hindi on 'X', Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who toy with the hard work of youngsters will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest action is certain to be taken against such unruly elements."
More than 240 people were arrested and detained by police across Uttar Pradesh for allegedly adopting or planning to use unfair means in the recruitment exam.
Accouncing the decision, the state home department said, "On the basis of the information and facts pertaining to police recruitment examination held on February 17 and February 18, the government, while keeping in mind the highest standards of sanctity and transparency, has decided to cancel the examination."
"The government has directed the recruitment board to register an FIR at the level where laxity has been committed and ensure further action. The government has decided to get the matter probed by the STF. Directions have also been issued to take strictest action against the guilty persons and organisation," it said in a statement.
According to the statement, a re-examination will be conducted within six months and UPSRTC buses will ferry candidates to the centres for free.
Reacting to the development, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader in the state Shekhar Dixit told PTI, "There cannot be anything more saddening than leakage of examination question paper. Earlier, question paper leaks were unheard of in Uttar Pradesh... The leakage of the question paper proves that the education mafia is still very strong in the state."
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X in Hindi said, "The government had to bow before the power of the youth, the UP Police recruitment exam was cancelled. Till yesterday, people sitting in the government were making statements in an attempt to deny the paper leak. When their lies could not stand before the power of the youth, the examination was cancelled today.
"Leaking of papers of every examination in UP is not only a proof of the corruption prevalent in the BJP government, but what is more serious is the careless and misleading attitude of the government."
She also demanded that the government should announce the new date as soon as possible and ensure that the paper will not be leaked this time.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the cancellation of examination as the "victory" of the youth and the defeat of the BJP government's "prapanch" (delusion).
In a post on X in Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav said, "Earlier, the BJP people were saying that the papers were not leaked, then how can they accept it now. This means that officers and criminals were in collusion and the government's blessings were also with them. But in the face of all the evidence, the government has been forced to bow down to avoid a historic defeat in the elections.
"Announcing vacancies for 'dikhava' (show off), charging fees worth billions of rupees, allowing papers to be leaked and then pretending to cancel them... this game will prove very costly for the BJP this time. This time the youths have decided that they will neither be misled nor fall into any BJP trap."
Meanwhile, UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary in a post on X in Hindi, said, "The youth-friendly BJP government of Uttar Pradesh has cancelled the @Uppolice Reserve Recruitment Examination- 2023 and has ordered to conduct the examination again within the next 06 months. I assure you under the zero tolerance policy, strictest action is certain to be taken against the unruly elements who are playing with the dreams of the promising youth of the state."