Forest guard recruitment exam ‘paper leak’: Cong leaders detained, House adjourned

On Monday morning, around 50 Congress workers, including Srinivas, Hardik and Mevani sat in protest in front of the Vidhan-sabha. A few Youth Congress members also burned an effigy on the premises after which they were detained by police.

“The manner in which police misbehaved with Congress workers is totally wrong. Can’t we protest against the government even after such a big leak has happened in a government exam? The government should be ashamed of themselves. This will not go on for a long time and the youth of Gujarat will give you a reply,” said Srinivas, president of Indian Youth Congress (IYC).

“The educated unemployed youths of Gujarat are harassed by these frequent paper leaks. When the Youth Congress tried to protest, the cowardly government again used police,” said Vadgam MLA Mevani.

“Now, what remains is the question paper of kindergarten to be leaked in Gujarat,” tweeted Hardik Patel, working president of Gujarat Congress.

“Congress was not given permission to hold a protest outside the Vidhansabha on Monday as the session was going on. A total of 30 workers were detained and taken to the SP office. They were let off in the evening,” said a senior police officer at Gandhinagar.

In the Gujarat Assembly, Congress MLAs raised the alleged “paper leak” of forest guards recruitment examination held on Sunday and demanded a discussion on it.

Speaker Nimaben Acharya declined permission demanding a separate notice to discuss the issue in the House where the annual budget session is scheduled to end on March 31.

“I will surely allow a discussion. Please give a fresh notice. You have not taken my permission or that of the minister concerned… so I cannot permit the discussion. I am bound by rules of the House,” Acharya said.

Congress MLAs then stood up and displayed posters before shouting slogans and rushing into the well of the House. As they began squatting on the floor, the Speaker said display of posters and shouting slogans were not permitted in the House and asked the sergeants to take the MLAs outside.

As chaos continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.

Ahead of the discussion on budgetary demands, Congress MLA Punja Vansh raised a “point-of-order” and said, “Paper leaks have happened 13 times and yesterday was the 14th incident.”

On Sunday, a candidate was caught by invigilators with an “answer key” of the forest guard recruitment exam at Sarvoday Vidyalaya school centre in Unava village under Unjha taluka of Mehsana.

A total of 2.22 lakh candidates had appeared for 334 posts of forest guard (van sanrakshak) grade 3 of the forest department of Gujarat government which was held across the state.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged another paper leak with Sunday’s incident even as the state government claimed that it was just a case of “copying” and not a leak.

Mehsana superintendent of police Parthrajsinh Gohil said Sunday night that a few staff posted at the exam centre in Unava village had clicked pictures of the question paper and prepared an answer key during the examination for the benefit of three candidates. Eight persons were booked in an FIR and six of them were detained Sunday.