Shillong, Dec. 2: Khasi language question papers set by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) were reportedly leaked on WhatsApp today a few hours before the commencement of the Class IX promotion examination.

The leak went viral on WhatsApp a few hours before the exam after which a member of the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), a pressure group, alerted his organisation's leaders who then informed the media. The exam was scheduled from 10am to 1pm.

The federation leaders later went to meet MBoSE office-bearers here to inform them about the leak, but they were out of station.

The information secretary of the federation's central body, Kitboklang Nongphlang, said the leak of question papers on WhatsApp was first detected by the federation members of Jaiaw circle today between 7.30am and 8am. They brought it to the notice of central leaders of the federation. Nongphlang, however, was not sure if the question papers were leaked yesterday or a few days back.

Expressing concern over leak of the MBoSE's question papers, he asked the board to take responsibility and issue corrective measures.

Of the 1,510 schools affiliated to the board, 517 are designated as safe deposit centres of question papers in all subjects. It is suspected that question papers in almost all subjects for this year's Class IX promotion examination were leaked.

Many wondered why the board did not deposit the question papers at police stations and instead chose to keep those in schools designated as "deposit centres" which led to this vulnerability.

Last week, the board postponed examinations for science and technology from November 30 to December 4, after the question papers were allegedly leaked in East Khasi Hills, East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts.

The board has filed three separate FIRs for investigation. A separate inquiry by the board is in progress.

This is not the first time that question papers set by the board were leaked. In 2005, the leak and shortage of question papers in Shillong triggered a mass agitation across the state demanding revamp of the functioning of the board.

The board's executive chairman, E.P. Kharbhih, today neither confirmed nor denied the leak. "I cannot comment now because we have not received any complaint. But the board's deputy director will inquire into it," he said.

"Why should we take the responsibility for the leak of question papers? The heads of the schools where the question papers were leaked should bear the responsibility because the internal promotion examination is conducted by schools and the board only frames the common question papers for the students," he added.