Youths take poll promises on paper leaks with pinch of salt

Lucknow: Question paper leaks in govt job recruitment examinations have cast a shadow of disappointment over candidates. Political parties have included promises in their respective manifestos to address the issue, but candidates are concerned about the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. In the last five years, 11 major exams have been leaked in nine states.

Of these, three exams were from UP — UP Teachers Eligibility Test (UPTET) in 2021, UP police constable exam in 2024 and for posts of review officer and assistant review officers in 2024. Papers were also leaked in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Assam and Haryana. The paper leaks have sparked outrage among candidates.



Promises made by political parties to tackle the issue include digitisation of papers, enhanced security protocols during printing and transportation and leveraging technology to prevent unauthorised access to examination material. Parties have vowed to overhaul the process to make it foolproof. However, Suchandana Gupta, who took the UPTET exam in 2021, said these promises remain a rhetoric without tangible action.

Chaman Kumar, who appeared for the UP police constable exam, said stringent penalty must be imposed on those found guilty of leaking papers. “I will only get peace when those behind the leak are unmasked and the exam is held with full transparency,” Bhupendra Pal said, adding, “A mechanism must be made and the parties must think that these criminal.