BJD student wing activists protest against the Plus Two question paper leak near Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, March 11: The crime branch today arrested the chairman of a private residential college and a senior official of the Council of Higher Secondary Education in connection with the Plus Two question paper leak.

Additional director of the crime branch B.K. Sharma said deputy secretary of the council’s Sambalpur zone Debendra Behera had forged a deal with Sandilya College of Science and Commerce chairman Kartik Chandra Barik to supply the questions there before the physics exam began.

“Earlier in another case, Behera had communicated all English paper questions to Barik over phone,” Sharma said, adding that an employee of the Sambalpur-based private college acted as whistleblower, which helped them crack the case.

Last evening, Behera had been suspended for violating rules by allegedly concealing the fact that his son was taking this year’s Plus Two exams. However, Behera said he had earlier informed the council about this and that he also had a copy of the letter.

The Opposition today stepped up pressure on the government demanding the resignation of higher education minister Badri Narayan Patra for the question leak fiasco even as various student organisations demonstrated in front of Patra’s house.

The BJD students’ wing, on the other hand, accused Congress MP Bhakta Charan Dash for influencing the council authorities for granting exam centre status to the Mahalinga Anchalika College of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district though it did not fulfil the requisite criteria.

This college came under scanner after the police arrested the centre’s superintendent Bijay Jena on March 8 after the flying squad found a packet containing chemistry question papers open at the centre. The college has now been derecognised.

The chemistry paper was cancelled just a day before it was scheduled to be held and was postponed to March 30. Earlier, the physics exam on March 7 had also been shifted to March 25 following reports that the question paper had been leaked.

BJD MLAs raised the issue in the House trying to divert the attention of members from the core issue of question leak that affected nearly two lakh students.

Government deputy chief whip Sanjay Das Burma, who had earlier invited trouble for recommending the transfer of a lady doctor whose body was later found on rail tracks, said: “The Congress has hatched a conspiracy to put the government in trouble. The conspiracy began when Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das wrote to the principal secretary requesting him to make Mahalinga Anchalika College an examination centre. Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh had also approached the council to set up an examination centre at Karlamunda College.”

Das, however, clarified his stand.

“I have not done anything wrong by recommending the name of the college as a centre. As MP, we write hundreds of letters to the government on the basis of various petitions. This is just a ploy to dilute the main issue by dragging in my name. All culprits should be arrested immediately and a judicial inquiry should be ordered into the issue,” Das told The Telegraph over phone.

However, the Opposition in the Assembly fought back and said the government was trying to fool the public. Demanding either a judicial or a CBI inquiry into the question leak issue, they said a racket was behind the incident and the higher education minister’s relatives were involved in it.

Patra said: “The Opposition should not make wild allegations. If anyone proves that me or my family is behind the unfortunate incident, I will resign from public life forever. We are taking necessary security measures so that such incidents (question leak) are not repeated.”

The higher education minister also warned that colleges would lose their affiliation and recognition if they violate the exam security measures. The minister also said that question packets will be opened and answer sheets sealed only in the presence of appointed supervisors.

Coming to the rescue of the minister, Pipili’s BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy said the minister alone should not be held responsible for the Plus Two exam hitch and that action should also be initiated against the authorities of Council of Higher Secondary Education, including its chairman, secretary and controller of examinations.