In the latest development in anti-corruption efforts by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, a new scandal has surfaced involving a paper leak in the railway departmental promotion exam. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an FIR following a complaint from the Railway Board’s Vigilance Department. The scandal centers around the General Department Competitive Exam (GDCE) held on August 6, 2021.
The Railway Recruitment Board of Prayagraj is accused of leaking exam papers to 50 to 60 candidates, with the papers allegedly sold for Rs 4 lakh. The CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Lucknow has initiated legal action against 11 railway employees involved in the leak. Raids were conducted at 11 locations across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, including Prayagraj, Noida, Aligarh, Mathura, Chitrakoot, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Karauli, Alwar, and Sawai Madhopur.
During the raids, crucial documents were seized, revealing that answers to the exam questions were distributed in a room near Ghaziabad railway station a day before the exam. It is alleged that Rs 4 lakh were collected from candidates in exchange for the leaked answers. The CBI has also named Aptech Ltd, the agency responsible for administering the exam, in the ongoing investigation.
Those charged in the FIR include:
- Bhup Singh, Vegraj, Mahavir Singh, and Pritam Singh from Bharatpur, Rajasthan
- Jitendra Kumar Meena from Alwar
- Pramod Kumar Meena from Sawai Madhopur
- Hansraj Meena from Tonka
- Dharm Dev from Aligarh
- Prashant Kumar Meena from Karauli
- Man Singh, Office Superintendent at the Chief Engineer’s Office of North Western Railway in Jaipur
- Mohit Bhati, a parcel porter from Noida
The investigation is ongoing, and further actions are expected as the CBI continues to probe the extent of the paper leak scandal.
