Amid CJP's nationwide paper leak protest, Uttarakhand University cancels two exams, professor held

As political temperatures continue to rise over examination paper leaks, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staging protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over the NEET controversy, another alleged paper leak has surfaced, this time in Uttarakhand. 

Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University (VMSB-UTU), Dehradun, has cancelled two even-semester examinations after an internal inquiry found that an external paper setter allegedly circulated examination questions to students before the tests.

Later on Thursday evening, the accused, Assistant Professor Ashish Kumar Gupta of Shivalik College of Engineering, Dehradun, was arrested in connection with the case.

The university's decision affects students from 12 affiliated institutions and comes amid heightened scrutiny of examination systems across the country.

According to the university, the controversy began after it received a complaint regarding the 'Machine Learning for Internet of Things' examination conducted during the 2025-26 even semester. Acting on the complaint, Vice-Chancellor ordered the formation of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the allegations. Shivalik College of Engineering, where Gupta is employed, also initiated an internal probe.

The investigations reportedly concluded that Gupta, who had been appointed as the external question paper setter for the subject, had allegedly shared questions identical to those appearing in the final examination with students through the institution's internal online portal and WhatsApp before the examination was held.

During the course of the inquiry, investigators also found indications that another examination paper prepared by the same faculty member, 'Electromagnetic Field Theory', may have suffered a similar breach of confidentiality.

The university said there was a strong possibility that the integrity of this paper had also been compromised.

Describing the incident as a serious violation of the confidentiality and credibility of its examination process, the university announced the immediate cancellation of both the 'Machine Learning for Internet of Things' (subject code IOTT004) and 'Electromagnetic Field Theory' (subject code ECT043) examinations.

In its official order, the university said maintaining the purity, fairness and credibility of the examination system, while protecting the interests of students, remained its top priority. Fresh dates for the cancelled examinations will be announced separately.

The incident has once again put the spotlight on vulnerabilities in India's examination system, which has come under intense criticism following multiple alleged paper leak cases across the country.

The latest controversy also comes at a time when political parties and student organisations are demanding stricter action against those involved in compromising competitive and university examinations.

With the arrest of the accused professor, the investigation is expected to focus on whether the leaked questions were shared with a limited group of students or circulated more widely.

Authorities are also likely to examine whether any other individuals were involved in the alleged breach.

The Uttarakhand case is expected to add further momentum to the national debate on examination security, transparency and accountability, even as protests over paper leak allegations continue to dominate the political landscape.