Bihar SSC chairman arrested in test paper leak case

The paper was leaked on February 8, following which the exam was cancelled.

Patna: The Bihar Police on Friday arrested the state's Staff Selection Commission Chairman from neighbouring Jharkhand in connection with a leakage of question papers, an official here said.

Sudhir Kumar, a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who heads the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), was arrested along with four of his close relatives from Hazaribagh, the official added.

A Special Investigation Team of the state police was interrogating Kumar and he would be brought to the Bihar capital later on Friday, an official at the state police headquarters said.

Kumar was absconding since February 10, after the leak surfaced. Following this, the exam which was conducted in two parts on February 5 and 8 was cancelled.

The examination is conducted for appointment of clerks in the state government.

The questions were leaked on the social media sites WhatsApp and Facebook on both examinations dates and they went viral.

According to police officials associated with the SIT, Kumar's role in the leak was under probe and he was arrested following concrete evidence of his involvement.

Following the arrest, an emergency meeting of Bihar IAS officials was held here, which was attended by dozens of bureaucrats.

The SIT has also arrested the owner of a printing press in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, where the BSSC question papers were printed. 

During the interrogation of the owner, it was established that the papers were leaked from there ahead of the examinations, another police official said.

The Bihar government had suspended BSSC Secretary Parmeshwar Ram, before he was also arrested earlier this week in connection with the case.

More than 20 persons have so far been arrested in the case.