Punjab education minister faces resignation demand over paper leak allegations

The BJP has demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in various recruitment and public examinations. The state's Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has denied the allegations, claiming that no question paper leaks have occurred in the state over the past four-and-a-half years.

The BJP has alleged that paper leaks and irregularities have taken place in multiple examinations, including the Punjab School Education Board's Class 12 English exam, the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET), the Agriculture Development Officer recruitment exam, Group-B recruitment, combined recruitment, Naib Tehsildar and Pharmacy Officer recruitment exams. The party also alleged that the merit list for the Excise and Taxation Inspector recruitment contained fake names.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains should resign on moral grounds. The Punjab Congress has also made the same demand. Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that at least six major paper leak incidents have occurred in the state over the past four years, damaging the future of countless students.

However, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has dismissed the allegations as baseless. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that not a single question paper leak has occurred in Punjab over the past four and a half years. While attempts at cheating were caught in two places, the administration took action within 10 minutes. He claimed that cheating incidents were being portrayed as paper leaks.

AAP leader Baltej Pannu also claimed that some candidates attempted to cheat using electronic devices and that action had been taken against them, but no question paper was leaked. He alleged that the BJP and Congress were presenting cheating incidents as paper leaks for political purposes.

Earlier, India's central education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid protests over NEET paper leak allegations, sparking fresh political debate over Punjab's education system.

Source: NDTV