Maharashtra: Opposition leaders slam Fadnavis Govt after MPSC cancels Drug Inspector recruitment exam

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission's (MPSC) cancellation of the recruitment process for the post of Drug Inspector, Group-B, in the Food and Drug Administration Department has triggered a political row with opposition leaders targeting the BJP-led state government over recurring examination irregularities.

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission's (MPSC) cancellation of the recruitment process for the post of Drug Inspector, Group-B, in the Food and Drug Administration Department has triggered a political row with opposition leaders targeting the BJP-led state government over recurring examination irregularities. Congress leader Udit Raj said that the only solution for paper leaks is to remove the present government, urging students to dissent against the administration.

"The BJP government is at the centre, and it is there [in Maharashtra] as well. When the central government is unable to stop paper leaks, how will the state government stop them? So, there is only one solution to paper leaks: to throw them out of power. They will not be able to stop paper leaks. By now, almost 160 papers have been leaked. So, the paper leak in Maharashtra is nothing to be surprised about. I would tell the youth and the students to protest and uproot the Fadnavis government. Protests will have to be done here as well; otherwise, they are not going to get justice," he told ANI. Between July 22 and 26, the Maharashtra Public Service Commission received complaints via email from candidates and public representatives alleging malpractice in the March 22 screening exam. The complaints claimed that some candidates had received the question paper or questions on March 20, prior to the exam, which were then circulated through social media and electronic media.

Given the seriousness of the complaints, the Commission filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police Commissioner on July 27. The Crime Branch subsequently conducted a preliminary inquiry and submitted its report, concluding that, prima facie, one candidate had received the question set and benefited from it. NCP(SP) leader Rohit Pawar, however, disputed the Commission's account of the scale of the leak, alleging, "Even though the commission has cancelled the paper, their explanation that the paper was only with one student is absolutely unacceptable. According to the information we have received, the fact is that papers were sold for 40-40 lakhs through an agent racket operating across the state, and the commission is also aware of this fact."

Pawar demanded transparency and accountability from the Commission's leadership. "Instead of trying to suppress this matter, the commission should make the inquiry report public, and what happened to the agent people whose names we had provided? Is anyone from the commission involved? Whose blessings are at play? They should also reveal this. If the commission tries to cover up this matter, we will not remain silent," he said. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande questioned why no FIR had been registered despite the findings of the preliminary probe.

"PM Modi has been saying for the last month that they are very serious about the paper leak issue, and they have even passed a new rule in Parliament stating that such cases will be dealt with very strictly. Now, when there is a paper leak in Maharashtra involving the MPSC Drug Inspector examination, and the police investigation has accepted that there was a leak, with someone reportedly receiving the question paper two days before the examination, my question is: when you have accepted that there was a paper leak and that the paper was in someone's possession before the exam, why has an FIR not been registered?" He added, "Why is the government not registering an FIR? When it has been established in the preliminary investigation, why are you not registering an FIR? Whom are you trying to save? Is there any involvement of government agencies in these paper leaks? This needs to be thoroughly investigated." (ANI)