PATNA: The cancellation of the Community Health Officer (CHO) exam in Bihar after a question paper leak has stirred a political storm, with opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav sharply criticizing the government on Tuesday.
The controversy is further inflamed by revelations from the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) investigation, which suggests a massive scale of corruption, with claims that those involved in the leak aimed to earn as much as Rs 100 crore.
The exam was intended to recruit approximately 4, 500 CHOs. The question paper leak has now led to its cancellation, further tarnishing the image of the recruitment process in Bihar.
Investigators revealed that individuals orchestrating the leak planned to generate enormous illicit earnings, indicating systemic issues and organised malpractice.
Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition, accused the Nitish Kumar government and its ally, BJP, of collusion in the scandal. He highlighted the alleged financial motivations and systemic failure in preventing such malpractices.
Yadav has raised a pointed question about why several paper leak cases appear to have links to Nalanda, the district often associated with the Bihar Chief Minister.
In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav wrote "...Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar and BJP had to earn Rs πππ crore by leaking the paper in the recruitment exam for the posts but when an audio went viral and the news got published, they were forced to cancel the paper. Now the BJP-JD(U) government is saying that they have been kicked in the stomach, Rs πππ crore taken from the exam mafia, will have to be adjusted by leaking papers in future exams. πππ government is playing with the present and future of the youth of Bihar. The Chief Minister will never say anything on paper leak."
During the investigation so far, EOU has found two conspirators -- Ravi Bhushan and Atul Prabhakar -- identified as key players in the conspiracy, reportedly orchestrated the leak by colluding with officials from the examination-conducting company and exam centres. The involvement of these mafias suggests a deeply entrenched network, said sources.
The mafia reportedly secured unauthorised access to the computers at 12 selected exam centres. These centres were part of a pre-arranged scheme to facilitate the paper leak and subsequent tampering with the examination process.
The joint team of EOU and Bihar Police conducted raids across several cities, including Patna, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, and Bihar Sharif. Ravi Bhushan is currently absconding, but efforts are underway to apprehend him and dismantle the broader network involved, said the officials.
The EOU investigation indicated that this was not an isolated incident but a large-scale scam designed to manipulate the recruitment process for financial gain.