Student unions intensify agitation; accuse government of betraying job aspirants by politicising paper leaks
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s description of the UKSSSC paper leak as “Nakal Jehad” has triggered sharp political reactions, with opposition parties accusing him of communalising the recruitment scandal.
Dhami, already known for campaigns around “Love Jehad,” “Land Jehad,” and “Mazar Jehad,” used the term after police arrested a Muslim candidate, Khalid Malik, and his sister Sabia in connection with the leak. “The cheating mafia will not be spared under any circumstances,” Dhami said, warning of strict action against those involved.
The opposition Congress, however, alleged that the BJP government was shielding its own leaders involved in repeated paper leaks. Party vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said, “It is unfortunate that the CM is giving a communal colour to everything. Why were jammers not installed at the examination centre? Why is the state protecting people like Hakam Singh, a BJP worker and mastermind of past leaks?”
Dhasmana demanded a CBI inquiry monitored by a High Court judge, alleging that both the examination centre where the leak occurred and those who received the questions were linked to ruling party leaders.
Protesters, meanwhile, accused the government of trying to divert attention from systemic corruption in recruitment by targeting specific communities. “This is not ‘Nakal Jehad,’ this is BJP’s nexus with the paper leak mafia,” student leader Bobby Panwar said during demonstrations in Dehradun.
With back-to-back scandals in recruitments—including the 2021 UKSSSC scam and the Secretariat Guards exam paper leak—the opposition said that Dhami’s government is losing credibility among job aspirants, while unemployed youth continue to intensify their agitation.
