According to sources, the Boden Police today arrested five teachers including two centre superintendents and three invigilators of Karangamal and Gopinath High Schools in Nuapada district following a complaint by the block education officer.
Apart from the five arrested, six teachers have been booked in connection with the incident. All these teachers have been suspended.
BSE exam controller Nihar Ranjan Mohanty informed that four students who were also reportedly involved in the incident have been debarred from appearing the examinations.
It is pertinent to mention that after the commencement of the Matriculation examination across Odisha on Friday, question papers of MIL-Odia subject were found circulating on social media. Within a few hours a slew of incidents were reported from Nuapada, Dhenkanal, Koraput and Jagatsinghpur districts.
However, the exact circumstances under which the exam question papers were uploaded on social media and the masterminds behind the incidents are yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile, concerns are being flagged over the safety and security of question papers with the next examination scheduled to be held on February 25.
Coincidentally, last year on February 26, the photographs of first language (MIL) subject were also circulated in WhatsApp messaging app while the examination was underway.
The accused have been identified as Sarbagyan Supakar, an assistant teacher at Kerapadar High School in Nuapada district and his nephew Gyanadutta Supakar.
As per reports, the duo had visited the Karangamal High School on Friday and allegedly clicked photographs of the question paper and made it viral on social media.
“Sarbagyan’s nephew Gyanadutta clicked the photographs of Odia question papers and made it viral in social media. So far, seven persons have been arrested in connection with the case and all of them will be forwarded to the court today,” informed Inspector-in-Charge of Boden police station, Saroj Kumar Mallick.
Earlier on Saturday, Boden police had arrested five teachers of two schools including centre superintendent Sushil Kumar Joshi and invigilator Arjunanjaya Panda of Gopinath High School and centre superintendent Prasanna Kumar Pati, invigilators Mukunda Sabar and Bighnaraj Supakar of Karangamal High School in Boden block of the district.
It is pertinent to mention that an hour after the commencement of the Matriculation examination across Odisha, question papers of Odia reportedly surfaced on social media in Nuapada district and Kamakhyanagar of Dhenkanal district.