GUWAHATI, March 20 - The four-member inquiry committee headed by retired sessions court judge BC Das that probed the alleged paper leak incident has indicated a nexus between some officials of the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) and the Goalpara-based Science Academy.
The similarity between the test papers of Science Academy and the higher secondary question papers of three subjects was �more than 80 per cent�, according to the inquiry.
Detecting the striking similarities, the probe panel recommended holding of fresh examination for the mathematics, physics and chemistry papers. The leak of question papers was from the council itself, and not after the question paper sets were sealed and dispatched to the districts, according to the probe.
While the AHSEC has ruled out holding of any fresh examination, it has decided to withdraw the recognition of the educational institute and recommend a probe either by the CID or CM�s Special Vigilance cell to identify the guilty AHSEC officials.
The inquiry committee, which also comprised three subject experts, submitted its report to the council last night.
AHSEC chairman Dr Dayananda Borgohain said holding of fresh examination was an �impractical proposition�. �We have taken feedbacks, and all are against holding of a re-exam. It is a question of future of the students,� he told The Assam Tribune.
The academic meeting of the AHSEC will be held tomorrow and the executive council will sit on March 29. The issue will be taken up during the meetings.
�There are two guilty parties. One is the college, so we have decided to withdraw its recognition. We are going for a probe either by the CID of the vigilance to identify the officials involved in the nexus,� the chairman said, adding that the CID had earlier probed a paper leak incident in 2016, but had failed to reach any conclusion as the investigations were allegedly stopped midway.
Official sources also told The Assam Tribune that the council has also decided to �take caution� while evaluating the answerscripts of the Science Academy and that of a few other junior colleges which are under scrutiny. The question papers will be checked by hand-picked evaluators at the council headquarters itself. The sources, however, refused to divulge if any different criteria will be adopted while evaluating the answerscripts of the Goalpara institution.
