Rejecting the Crime Branch probe ordered by the State Government into the question paper leak of plus-two examinations, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into the entire matter.
“A judicial probe only can unearth the truth,” OPCC spokesman Ashok Samal said. Alleging that the continuance of Minister of State for Higher Education Badrinarayan Patro in office will hamper investigation into the matter, Samal demanded his immediate removal. The Minister should step down till the investigations are over, he said.
Stating that a racket is involved in question paper leak, Samal alleged that the Minister is trying to shield the main culprits. Samal said the Higher Education department should now make it clear why the transfer of the Deputy Secretary of Sambalpur zone of the the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) was cancelled. Besides, the role of the Controller of Examinations should also brought into the purview of the probe, he said.
The private coaching centres, which have mushroomed over the years, are responsible for the question paper leak, Samal alleged and demanded that their role should be probed.
Criticising Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for ignoring such a serious issue and keeping himself busy touring districts to announce sops to woo people for the 2014 polls, the OPCC demanded that responsibility should be fixed for the question paper leak which has put thousands of students in difficulty.
Meanwhile, different students’ organisations have announced agitations against the repeated question paper leak. The State unit of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) will take out a rally on Monday here to demand a judicial probe into the matter.
The All-India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) has also announced Assembly gherao on Monday demanding strong action against those involved in question paper leak.
Alleging that the Crime Branch probe has been ordered to hoodwink the people, State unit AIDSO office-bearers questioned the fate of the probe by the agency into the theft of question papers of matriculation examination last year.