Protests continue for second day over Telangana PSC question paper leak

As many as seven activists of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha arrested during protests on Tuesday were remanded in 14 days’ judicial custody by a local court. These protesters, including state president A Bhanu Prakash, were arrested on charge of damaging public property.

Police have also sought 10 days’ custody of nine people—five of them government employees—arrested for their alleged role in leaking the question paper for the assistant engineer (civil) recruitment examination held on March 5. The case was registered after the TSPSC complained on March 11 that its systems could have been hacked.

The investigation found the prima facie involvement of TSPSC assistant section officer Pulidindi Praveen Kumar (32) and Atla Rajasekhar Reddy (35), who was working as a network expert in an outsourced role.

According to police, they stole the passwords and other credentials of another employee to steal the question paper for the exam. “In our investigation, we found out that they leaked only the question paper for the March 5 examination. We have sought 10 days of police custody of the accused for further investigation,” a senior official told The Indian Express.

The Hyderabad police Tuesday transferred the investigation to the special investigation team under additional commissioner (crimes & SIT) A R Srinivas. They had seized four pen drives, seven mobile phones, three laptops, an iPad and a desktop computer from the accused.

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has sought a report from the TSPSC in 48 hours, even as the commission is yet to decide on whether to cancel the March 5 exam.

The protestors belonging to ABVP and the AAP’s Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti continued to demand the resignation of TSPSC chairman B Janardhan Reddy. They also want a sitting judge of the Telangana High Court to investigate the paper leak. Similar protests were held in Khammam, Adilabad and Nizamabad districts too.

Speaking to the media Tuesday, Janardhan Reddy assured job aspirants of full support and vouched for transparency in TSPSC recruitment. Asked if other exams were also compromised, he said an audit report was awaited from the cyber security wing and a forensic sciences laboratory.

Reddy, however, said there was no change in the schedule for the Group 1 mains exam slated for June 5. In the wake of the controversy, the TSPSC cancelled the exams for the town planning building overseer post on March 12 and for the veterinary assistant surgeon post on March 15 and 16.