Students launch protest in Dehradun against paper leak, says anti-cheating law is no deterrent

Following the paper leak that took place during the government recruitment exam, hundreds of students and members of Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangh (Unemployed Association) protested in Dehradun on Monday (September 22, 2025).

Demanding justice for those who spent months preparing for exams and ended up losing it to paper leak, students alleged that the anti-cheating law remain no deterrent for the cheating mafias in the State.

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The district administration had issued prohibitory orders sensing a huge crowd mobilisation to the capital. Despite this, students managed to march towards the secretariat and jammed main road of the city. They were later stopped by the police.

The protestors alleged that the cheating mafia leaked the UKSSSC paper just 30 minutes before the exam started on Sunday (September 21, 2025).

The police had arrested two persons for the paper leak on Sunday night and ruled out the involvement of any gang in the paper leak. One of them, named Hakam Singh, was arrested in the past as the “mastermind” of a paper leak that took place in government recruitment exam in 2012.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dehradun Ajai Singh said that the accused have been booked under sections 11(1), 11(2), and 12(2) of the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment and Remedies) Act, 2023. He has also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.

Ram Kandwal from the Berozgar Sangh said that the paper leak occurred at a center in Haridwar.

Reacting to the complaints of the students, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that some people are attempting to defame the examination system and warned that the cheating mafia will not be spared under any circumstances.

The opposition Congress, however, questioned the government’s anti-cheating law and its impact on cheating mafias.

Suryakant Dhasmana, vice-president of Congress said that the party is planning organise statewide protests against paper leak and also alleged that government is trying to hide its connections with Hakam Singh, who was given bail even after being involved in multiple paper leaks in the past.

“How come this Hakam Singh gets bail so easily. He has destroyed lives and dreams of thousands of youths in the state. This shows the dual face of BJP government which shows empathy to youths but also help cheating mafias to get out of jail,” he said.