Bhubaneswar, March 12: Crime branch today raided four more residential colleges in Sambalpur in connection with the plus two question paper leak episode.

The department officials made inquiries at the Newton College, the Academy in Modern Science, the Vedic Science College and the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Science in Sambalpur and verified some documents pertaining to the exam.

On the other hand, police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse Youth Congress activists who went on a rampage protesting against the question paper leak outside the collectorate in Cuttack today.

Additional director general of crime branch B.K. Sharma said: “We will investigate if more complaints come up. We will also look into the functioning of the residential colleges if needed.”

The crime branch today took the chairman of the Sandilya College of Science and Commerce, Kartik Chandra Barik, and its marketing officer Subas Barik on a two-day remand for interrogation. Deputy secretary of the Council of Higher Secondary Education, Sambalpur zone, Debendra Behera, who had made a deal to supply the questions, was sent to jail after his bail plea was rejected.

Sources said the crime branch was now investigating the functioning of all the residential plus two colleges and their nexus with the council. During the past decade, as many as 200 residential colleges have come up across Odisha.

“As there is a competition among these colleges to do well in the examinations, they indulge in all sorts of unfair practices,” said BJD MLA Amar Satpathy.

Educationist R.N. Panda said that the very fact that private self-financing institutes faring better than premier state-run colleges in plus two exams in 2010 had raised the suspicion of a foul play. Of the top 10 scorers, eight, including the topper, were from a private residential college in Cuttack. Of the three students who came second, two were from the same college.

The episode of question paper leak continues to rock Odisha both inside and outside the Assembly. The Opposition created a ruckus on the floor of the Assembly today, while Congress activists staged a demonstration in different parts of Odisha demanding resignation of higher education minister Badri Naryan Patra.

At least four youth Congress activists, including some women, sustained injuries at the police action in Cuttack. “We had come to stage a peaceful protest against the recent question paper leak incident. But the police resorted to lathicharge,” said Smruti Ranjan Rout, president of Cuttack-Choudwar Youth Congress. Earlier, the Congress activists had burnt the effigy of higher education minister Badrinarayan Patra and demanded his resignation.