ASSAM: The ongoing debate on the exam paper leak reports in the Assembly refused to die out for the second day in a row on Friday.
After a chaotic session on February 22, marked by an Opposition walkout, two MLAs were briefly suspended for not obliging to the Speaker’s ruling today.
Notably, Congress’ Baghbor MLA, Sherman Ali Ahmed, one of the two legislators to face suspension during Calling Attention, highlighted “severe irregularities” in the recently held school evaluation system “Gunotsav”.
Despite repeated requests from Speaker Biswajit Daimary to calm down, Ahmed refused to oblige and got into an argument with him.
AIUDF’s Ashraful Hussain is the other Opposition MLA to find himself on the wrong side of the suspension.
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Speaker Biswajit Daimary only allowed them to attend the House after the Calling Attention was over in 10 minutes.
As the Higher Secondary (HS) examinations commenced under the newly formed Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), reports of question paper leaks have surfaced across the state.
In Hailakandi district, an alleged leak of the Bengali examination paper during the evening shift of the Higher Secondary exam on February 21, has added to the concerns.
Earlier, on February 17, Education Minister Pegu had refuted reports of paper leaks during the HSLC board exams.
“The purported question paper leak in Cachar District is baseless. Investigations are underway to ascertain the origin of this misinformation, and appropriate legal actions will be pursued,” Pegu stated in social media post.
Despite the recent enactment of the Assam Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill, 2024, which proposes severe penalties for any involvement in question paper malpractices, incidents of leaks during board examinations is a matter of concern for the Education Department.
