12 minor students, 13 others arrested in Assam board exam 'question paper leak' case

Police in Assam have arrested 25 persons including 12 minor students so far for their alleged involvement in the alleged leak of question paper of class X science examination, recently.

Assam police spokesperson Prashanta Bhuyan told DH that 13 others arrested by the CID in connection with the case include four government servants.

Sources said the arrests have been made from Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Guwahati, North Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. All the accused, including a few teachers, were brought to Guwahati for investigation.

Read | Assam Board Exam: Question paper leak resonates in Assembly

The 13 adults were remanded to CID custody by a court here for interrogation while the minors were sent to juvenile homes as per provisions in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act. "The minor students will be questioned by following the norms in the Juvenile Justice Act. As per the preliminary findings, all were involved in the case. They had bought the question papers and had even paid money by using digital payment mode. But the level of their involvement will be clear after thorough investigation and proper examination of their digital devices," a source in CID said.

The Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) on the night of March 12 decided to cancel the Class X general science examination based on media reports and social media posts, which showed handwritten question papers. The examination was scheduled for Monday morning.

On March 13, the Assam government asked CID to register a criminal case as the Opposition parties and the students' organisations staged a strong protest. The Opposition parties raised the issue in the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly.

The Opposition parties also demanded resignation of education minister Ranoj Pegu alleging his failure to conduct the state board examination in a free and fair manner.