Students across Uttarakhand continued their fervent protests on Thursday, September 25, 2025, demanding a CBI inquiry into the recent leak of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level examination. They strongly criticized the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government, dismissing it as merely “an act of cover-up.”
In Dehradun’s Parade Ground, hundreds of students and aspiring candidates gathered, holding banners and placards emblazoned with defiant slogans like ‘paper chor gaddi chord’ (paper thief, leave the chair). Similar day-long demonstrations, including students sleeping on the roads, took place in Haridwar and Almora, all unified by the call for justice.
Protesters voiced their deep frustration, asserting that the anti-cheating law enacted by the BJP government in 2023 has proven ineffective against what they term the “cheating mafia.” They accuse this network of destroying the futures of countless young individuals who dedicate years to preparing for these crucial competitive exams.
In response to the escalating public outcry, the Uttarakhand government on Thursday, September 25, 2025, suspended Suman, an assistant professor from a Tehri college, who is implicated in solving the leaked question paper for a student. Additionally, two police officers stationed at the Haridwar exam center, where the paper allegedly originated, were also suspended.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed the issue on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, calling the leak a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by the “cheating mafia” aimed at causing unrest within the state. He emphasized his government’s commitment to implementing stringent anti-cheating laws to combat such incidents.
The Chief Minister highlighted his administration’s efforts, stating, “As a result, in just four years, more than 25,000 people have secured government jobs. Furthermore, since 2022, over 100 individuals involved in paper leak cases have been arrested.” He continued, “Yet, some individuals are not accepting this… Coaching mafias and cheating syndicates are collectively working to spread ‘nakal jihad’ (cheating jihad) and further attempting to disrupt exams and spread unrest in the State. I want to make it clear that my government will not spare these cheating mafias and ‘nakal jihadi’, and we will not rest until all cheating mafias in the State are behind bars.”
It’s worth noting that Mr. Dhami has previously used similar controversial terms, such as ‘Love Jihad’ for interfaith relationships and and ‘Land Jihad’ and ‘Mazar Jihad’ in contexts he described as Muslims encroaching on state land.
The government has established a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a retired judge, to thoroughly investigate the paper leak from the government recruitment exam held on September 21, 2025. The scandal emerged when images of three pages of the question paper circulated on social media moments before the test began.
Initial police investigations have led to arrests. Haridwar Police apprehended Khalid Malik and his sister Sabia for their alleged involvement. Dehradun Police arrested Pankaj Gaur and Hakam Singh, who were reportedly promising aspirants access to the leaked paper in exchange for money. Notably, Mr. Singh has a prior record of arrests and imprisonment for his involvement in past paper leaks. Despite these arrests, the police have not confirmed the involvement of an organized “gang” in these specific incidents.
However, BJP MP from Haridwar and former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed skepticism, suggesting that a paper leak of this magnitude in a government recruitment exam could not occur without broader involvement.