The resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy has sparked a political debate in Punjab as opposition parties are now demanding the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh over recent examination-related controversies in the state.
The issue has raised an important question among many people: if the controversy is linked to the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) Pharmacist Officer recruitment examination, which minister is actually responsible for that department?
According to the current Punjab Cabinet portfolio allocation, Harjot Singh Bains is the minister in charge of School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education and Industrial Training, while, Dr Balbir Singh, on the other hand, heads the Health and Family Welfare Department as well as the Medical Education and Research Department.
The BFUHS recruitment examination was conducted for 454 Pharmacist Officer posts and following this controversy the Opposition has sought the resignation of both ministers, arguing that different departments connected to education and recruitment should be held accountable for examination-related controversies.
The latest political row comes after Punjab Police uncovered an alleged cheating network during the BFUHS Pharmacist Officer recruitment examination and according to Punjab Police, this was not a case of a question paper being leaked before the examination, instead, police described it as a technology-based cheating operation that allegedly started after the examination had already begun.
The recruitment examination was conducted for around 7,000 candidates seeking 454 Pharmacist Officer posts and the examination was held from 11 am to 1 pm, while police carried out raids at 25 examination centres in Faridkot, Kotkapura and Ferozepur.
Police said that between 11.10 am and 11.25 am, one candidate allegedly used a hidden pen camera inside the examination hall to capture images of the question paper and those images were allegedly sent through WhatsApp to people outside the examination centre, where the paper was solved. The answers were then allegedly communicated live to candidates through wireless micro earpieces.
Investigators have maintained that no evidence has been found so far to suggest that the question paper was leaked before the examination started. Punjab Police have also said that no BFUHS official or government official has been found involved in the alleged cheating network at this stage of the investigation. The investigation is still continuing.
According to police, seven key accused have been arrested, while 28 candidates have been detained for questioning and police also recovered 27 battery-operated wireless cheating devices.
Investigators have identified Gurmeet Singh, an employee of Sant Kabir Polytechnic College in Fazilka, as the alleged mastermind of the operation. Police have alleged that candidates were charged between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 13 lakh for the cheating arrangement, they also claimed that some candidates allegedly submitted post-dated cheques as security. These allegations remain under investigation.
Following the controversy, administrative changes were also made at BFUHS after the completion of former Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajeev Sood's tenure. Manjit Singh Brar was given officiating charge as Vice-Chancellor, while Dr Girish Sahni was given officiating charge as Registrar after Registrar Arvind Kumar was relieved.
The controversy has now become a political issue after Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak row. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said Pradhan's resignation was a victory for students and alleged that several recruitment examinations and board examinations had faced irregularities during the AAP government's tenure and said accountability should also be fixed in Punjab.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa questioned why AAP leaders who protested over the NEET controversy were not speaking about examination controversies in Punjab and demanded strict action and sought the resignation of Harjot Singh Bains.
Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also demanded the resignation of both Harjot Singh Bains and Dr Balbir Singh, alleging repeated examination-related controversies under the AAP government.
The Aam Aadmi Party has maintained that whenever examination irregularities have been reported, investigations have been carried out and action has been taken against those found responsible, and the party has also argued that every examination controversy should not automatically be treated as ministerial failure and has said that recruitment procedures and examination security are being strengthened.
