Bijendra Kumar Baleshwar Shah, the main accused in the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case, has been arrested from Patna. The police have brought him and one of his associates to Bhiwandi, where their interrogation is ongoing. So far 14 accused have been arrested in this case.
Pune (Maharashtra) [भारत]July 25 (ANI): Maharashtra Police on Saturday arrested the main accused in the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case from Patna, Bihar. Officials said he has been brought to Maharashtra for further investigation.
The main accused has been identified as Bijendra Kumar Baleshwar Shah. He and his associate Inderjit Singh alias Piku were brought to Bhiwandi after the Bhiwandi police arrested them in Patna. Both the accused were taken to the Bhiwandi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone-2 office, where they are being interrogated as part of the ongoing investigation.
14 accused arrested so far
According to the police, Bijendra Kumar was absconding for about a month before his arrest. With these latest arrests, the total number of accused arrested in the TET paper leak case has reached 14. Police said the investigation is now focused on exposing the entire paper leak network and identifying the role of others involved in this racket.
Rahul Gandhi targeted the government
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had earlier criticized the Maharashtra government, alleging that around six lakh candidates are left in limbo as the new date has not been announced even two weeks after the exam was cancelled.
In a post on
Rahul Gandhi alleged that no action was taken against those responsible for the paper leak, while students and candidates preparing for the exam are suffering due to this chaos.
He further said, “These are the working and future teachers of the country, in whose hands is the future of India–these are the same people who prepared year after year, filled the forms, paid the fees and traveled to far-flung centres. And now they are just waiting without any date, without any answer.”
Gandhi demanded immediate action from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding announcement of a new exam schedule, strict action against those involved in the alleged leak and age relaxation for candidates affected by the cancellation.
Why was the exam cancelled?
The Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE) had postponed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), which was scheduled to be held on June 28 across the state, after alleged question paper leak came to light during a police investigation in Bhiwandi.
According to the council, this examination was scheduled to be conducted at 1,028 centers in Maharashtra. In its public notice, MSCE said that despite implementing security measures following irregularities reported during the NEET exam, confidential information received early on Saturday indicated that some individuals in Bhiwandi allegedly had information related to the TET question paper. (ANI)
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