HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, June 14: Nearly three months after the leak of the question paper of the General Science of High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) charge-sheeted 41 accused including ten teachers.
“After completion of investigation, 41 accused, including 10 teachers, two attendants, 24 students and five middlemen, were charge-sheeted under Sections 120 B/420/409/218/201 of IPC and Section 66 B of the IT Act for being part of the conspiracy to leak and circulate the question paper of General Science of HSLC Examination, 2023, along with 86 documents, statements of 128 witnesses and 48 material objects, before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), Guwahati,” an official of CID, Assam, informed on Wednesday.
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“The chargesheet also named two attendants, 24 students and five middlemen in connection with the case registered under 120B/420/409/218/201 of IPC and section 66B of IT Act for being part of the conspiracy to leak and circulate the question paper,” the official statement said.
Notably, a case vide CID police station (case number 03/2023) under Sections 120B/420/427 of IPC, read with Section 66 B of IT Act and additional Sections 409/201/218 of IPC, was registered on March 13, 2023 on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Secondary Education Board of Assam (SEBA) related to the leakage of the General Science question paper of HSLC Examination, 2023.
“During investigation, it has come to light that Pranab Kumar Dutta, headmaster and centre-in-charge of Lohit Khaboli High School, Lakhimpur, in connivance with Kumud Rajkhowa, a teacher of Dafalakata Janajati High School, Lakhimpur, were the chief perpetrators of the conspiracy to leak the question paper of HSLC Examination, 2023 with an ulterior motive to sell the paper for pecuniary benefits,” the statement said.
Dutta and Rajkhowa were arrested along with 39 others found to be involved in the conspiracy to leak and circulate the question paper.
During a search conducted at Dutta’s residence, investigators discovered half-burnt fragments of the General Science question paper along with the ashes resulting from their destruction. Forensic examination conducted at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Guwahati confirmed the similarity between the recovered fragments and the original question paper.
Dutta, during custodial interrogation, divulged crucial information leading to the recovery of a handwritten sheet containing answers to the multiple-choice section of the General Science paper.
Rajkhowa had copied the questions of the General Science paper on a sheet of paper and circulated to known students through Whatsapp and received money in exchange. A total of 47 mobile phones, which received the hand written question papers, were seized and the deleted images were retrieved using cyber forensic tools, the statement said.
The hand writing in these WhatsApp images matched with those of Rajkhowa and two students. The QR Code used and UPI transactions used for transferring the money to buy the question paper were also unearthed.
